How to Create OCs
by Zephyros-Phoenix
Summary: NO LONGER TAKING CHAPTER REQUESTS, SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE TIME. SORRY - Need help making your OC? Then check out this guide dedicated to helping create great OCs. It is not professional or anything and it is merely intended to help. Series specific chapters uploaded upon request.
1. Introduction

Welcome to Zephyros-Phoenix's OC guide!

This guide is intended to help people with creating their OCs. It is a mixture of common ideas as well as my own opinions. Throughout these chapters, I will go through basic pieces of information that you should be able to fill out in regards to your character as well as ways to help create a great and non-cliché character. Some of the details are not required, but they are useful in getting a better and in depth understanding of your character, which is really what we want to accomplish here.

Before we begin, just keep these things in mind. Since just about everything and every type of character has already been done, it will be very hard to create a totally unique character.

Also, the features and skills of your OC should at least fit in the world you're putting them into. Example: If your OC has superpowers, that would make sense and be normal in the world of DC Comics and Marvel, but not in world of Bakugan. Therefore there are some exceptions to the rules, which I will cover when we get there.

As almost all OCs created are female, I'll be going through this under the assumption that your OC is also female. In addition, since most OCs I've come in contact with are for superhero cartoons or anime, I'll also be writing under the assumption that your OCs are the same/similar. Therefore, since Bakugan and Young Justice are two of my better fanfiction series, I will be writing this under as if your OC is for either those two shows or similar ones.

Please do not take this as bashing any OCs you have created. This is purely designed to help create an OC. In no way whatsoever am I trying to pass myself of as some sort of OC expert, because I am not. I'm only trying to help in the best way that I can. If there are any areas you'd like me to cover, please feel free to suggest something.

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><p><strong>Table of Contents:<strong>

**1. Naming Your OC  
><strong>**a. Basic Information**

**2. Physical Description**

**3. Personalities  
><strong>**a. The 'Types'**

**4. Interests and Beliefs**

**5. Relationships**

**6. Abilities**

**7. Background**

**8. The Animal Partner**

**9. The Mary-Sue Test**

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><p>The chapters will come in order and I felt it best to separate similar topics in order to better discuss them in detail. If there is anything I haven't covered that you'd like me too, just ask.<p>

Really hope this helps! ~ZP


	2. Naming Your OC: Basic Information

**NAMING YOUR OC – Basic Information**

This is where we cover all the basic information for your OC. Almost all of the information here is the basic stats that should give us a general understanding of your OC

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><p><strong>Name<strong>

Ah, the start of every character. Before you even start thinking about any other aspect of your character, their name is the first thing you'll want to decide on. They are also the first thing that people will use to judge and evaluate your character. Of course your character has to have a name, unless for some reason – and it better be a good one – she doesn't. It's very easy to screw up the name, so remember these important points:

**Spelling:** Some names have multiple kinds of spelling. Do some research to see if a name has many other forms and decide which one you want.

**Meaning:** A lot of people like to focus on the meaning of their OC's name. FALSE! **You do not have to focus on this when naming your character**. Many Mary-Sue's have horrible names because of how much time their creators spent thinking of the meaning of their name. If a name's meaning has significant importance to your character, at least make sure it sounds good and matches with them. If it doesn't and you don't like it, I recommend thinking outside the meaning-of-names box.

**Culture:** For the love of god, don't give your character a name that doesn't come from the same culture from which she also comes. It just doesn't make sense and it really bugs people. I recommend researching names of particular cultures. Example: If she's not Japanese, she shouldn't be named Sakura.

**Surname:** Unless your character is in a world that for some reason doesn't have surnames (Pokémon), then just like the first name, the surname should also be from the same ethnicity as the character…unless they are adopted.

**Rhyming and Double Alliteration/Consonance:** Avoid giving your OC a first and last name that rhyme as well as a first name that rhymes with a canon character's name (minor character is fine but not if the canon character comes in contact a lot with your OC). The rhyming just gets annoying after a while. Also, avoid doing double alliteration and consonance because it's not as creative and doesn't sound as nice as non-alliterated names.

What's alliteration and consonance? I'll tell you! Alliteration is the repetition of one letter at the beginning of several words. Consonance is similar to alliteration but is the repetition of a consonant sound.

Examples: **B**ruce **B**anner, **P**eter **P**arker, **R**eed **R**ichards, **J**'onn **J**'onzz, **W**ally **W**est, **C**lark **K**ent, etc. You get the picture.

**Names to Avoid: **

**Sakura**: As pretty as a name it is (and who wouldn't want a name that means cherry blossoms?), this name has become too cliché and overused to ever be successful again.

**Super plain names:** I would avoid picking average names for your OC. You want them to be unique and special and a plain name won't help. Examples: Jane, Betty, Sue, Kate, Mary.

**Any word typed into a language translator: **It's meant to be a word, not a name!

**Any variation of a canon character's name:** It's really stupid and will confuse people with the canon character.

**Ruby or any precious stone/gem**

**Rose or any flower**

**Kitten:** Just don't! It's a stupid name and an even stupider nickname.

**Raven or any other bird name: **Exception: Storm Hawks

**Kairi, Kiara or any other variation/anagram **

**Kate, Katie, or any other variation/anagram**: This name is so plain and has been used so many times so just save yourself the trouble.

**Serena, Serenity, Sincerity or any other variation/anagram**

**Angel or any other variation/anagram**

**Hikaru, Hikari or any other variation/anagram **

**Boy names for girls: **Exception: they are unisex names.

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><p><strong>Nickname<strong>

If your OC has a long first name, you've probably given them a nickname, as it would be tedious for people to constantly refer to her by her full name. If you've got a lot of OCs, I would advise against having nicknames for them all. Also, if they have a nickname, it should be a shortened version of and sound like their name and have some of the same letters as their full name. The nickname does not have to be derived from the first name, it can come from the surname.

Examples: Nelly (Eleanor, Ellen, Penelope), Addie (Adrienne, Adelaide, Adele), Linda (Belinda, Selinda, Malinda)

Now with nicknames, you don't have to worry too much about double alliteration/consonance, as it is just the nickname. Example: Virginia "Pepper" Potts. See? Double alliteration/consonance is totally fine as long as it's not the first and last name.

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><p><strong>Alias<strong>

In the case of superheroes/villains and agents/spies, your OC will likely have an alias. And if they aren't a super or secret agent, then the there really isn't a need for an alias and you'd just be wasting your time.

Now when picking your alias, you can't just pick one at random. Like with given names, the alias should have some relation to the actual character, in particular, symbolism. Example: Batman named himself after a bat, a creature of the night.

**Common Alias Ideas:**

**Color + Animal name:** These are some of the most common alias choices. Very easy as a beginner alias and could easily match with any character. Example: Red Robin (Tim Drake)

**Color + Object related to character:** Another common 'color' style alias and an extension of the color + animal name idea. Examples: Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Red Tornado (John Smith)

**Occupation:** Example: Executioner, but not something like accountant

**Classic DC/Marvel: **"insert adjective or noun here" man/woman/boy/girl

**An Animal: **Do some research on animals from the same family before making your final decision. The Latin names are a good source.

**Greek Alphabet**

**Mythological Creature**

**Element + Something:** Such as fire, wind, water earth, etc.

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><p><strong>Group Affiliation<strong>

Does your OC work alone or are they part of a group? What's that group called? How highly ranked is she in the group and what and how does the group operate?

**Group Names to Avoid:**

**Anything in relation to animals or objects unless it is commonly shared among all members: **Example: The White Tigers (Beyblade)

**Something + Angels/Babes and any name implying how sexy and attractive they are**

**Shadow/Gothic/Dark + Something**

**Deliverance**

**Band and Sports Team Names**

**(Something) + Soul/Power/Hearts + (Something)**

**Objects of clothing**

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><p><strong>Age<strong>

Not much to say about this one. The age of your character has to be believable in terms of appearance and personality. Most OCs are teenagers around 16, so they should act that age give or take a few years. Also, if your OC has siblings or is the sibling of a canon character, I recommend an age difference of a year to three years.

If you're planning on a sex scene, don't have them younger then 15 because that's just gross!

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><p><strong>Gender<strong>

Do I really need to cover this?

Of course keep your OC's one gender, or even hermaphroditic (no gender), if they're not from a species of two genders. I highly recommend against making your character able to change sexes (PhD: Phantasy Degree) or having a sex change. That is very difficult to pull off well.

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><p><strong>Nationality<strong>

Ethnicity plays a huge part in many factors of your OC. Where your OC is from will directly affect her name, skin, height, weight, hair and eye color. It's easy to write for an OC of one ethnicity and relatively easy to write one of two ethnicities. I recommend not going over 2 ethnic groups because it would be difficult to incorporate all the cultures into one person.

As I mentioned before, nationality affects various stats. Like I said in the names, their names should come from the same culture from which the OC comes from. In addition, their height and hair and eye colors should be similar to other people from the same ethnicity.

Examples: Asians are usually short and have black hair, Europeans will vary depending on region but are usually tall and strong, Africans and Australians vary with tribal descent so you will need to do some research, and Americans are usually the average.

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><p><strong>Race<strong>

Does your OC need to be human? No! But just note that I'm not covering animal OCs in this, but anthros are fair game. Unless your OC is in a universe where non-human – but human-like – creatures have never been introduced, I would avoid making them an alien (or whatever). For example, if it's a Beyblade OC, don't have them be an alien.

If your OC is for Bakugan or DC/Marvel, then it would be totally reasonable and logical for an alien OC. I just beg of you for one thing: if your OC is an alien, DON'T MAKE THEM LOOK HUMAN! Human body shape is fine, but seriously, what are the chances of aliens looking exactly like humans? So give them different features and skin colors, anything to make them different from humans.

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><p><strong>Height<strong>

Height is one of the details that I consider not to be that important. It should be relative to their ethnicity. Height is really just one of those things to visualize how tall your OC in comparison to the other characters. Are they the same height? Taller? Shorter?

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><p><strong>Weight<strong>

Weight is another small detail that isn't completely required. Chances are your OC is of average weight or slim. BUT, do not make them so skinny that their body cannot be supported properly. Or maybe try making your OC overweight! As far as I know, it's never been done before and would certainly make your character unique. In addition, remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so your OC may weigh a lot, but won't be fat.

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><p><strong>Hair<strong>

Hair, one of the most important details of your OC. First things first, in anime and cartoons we can get away with any kind of hair color we want. Yay! But that doesn't give you an excuse to go all crazy. Streaks or a second hair color are a nice addition, but do not go over two different hair colors, it's just too much.

Hair length is also something that we can screw around with in the anime universe. Hair can be so long that it reaches our ankles without being totally impractical! But once again, this isn't an invitation to do so. Try to keep your character's hair still at a practical length and don't be afraid to experiment with different hairstyles until you find the right one for your OC. You could even change their hairstyle later on! Hooray for diversity!

**Note:** Don't you ever dare say this: "[insert OC's name]'s hair is like [insert canon character's name]'s hair but [insert the tiny difference]" Do not EVER say this. It's bullshit.

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><p><strong>Eyes<strong>

Like with hair color, eye color is another thing we can mess around with. But before we choose the color, we must decide on eye shape. The shape of your OC's eyes really tell a lot about their personality before they even speak.

**Narrow and Angular:** Characters with narrow and angular eyes tend to be quick-tempered and aggressive as well as quiet loners. In general, a serious character. Examples: Spectra, Ace, Shun (Bakugan)

**Big and Round:** Characters with big, round eyes tend to be the bumbling, optimistic and cheerful type of character. Examples: Julie, Runo, Marucho (Bakugan)

**Tall vs. Short:** Tall eyes are typically associated with female characters, while shorter eyes are masculine.

**Note:** Don't make their eyes change color…at all, even if it's an emotion thing like with Aquamarine. And don't change your OC's eyes between seasons like they did with Kai's eyes in Beyblade (throughout all the three seasons, he had different eye colors: red - grey - purple).

Try to keep eye colors natural, but since it's cartoon and anime, we can use brighter and bolder colors. A good idea for eye color is to have it match the hair color in some way, but I suggest not making them the same color. So find colors that looks nice with your OC's hair and/or their main color scheme or even the complementary color of her hair. Example: Mira Clay (Bakugan) has orange hair and blue eyes (complementary colors)

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><p><strong>Birthday<strong>

Your OC obviously has a birthday, but it's not necessary unless the time period is either over several seasons of a show or the time frame is longer than half a year. You're character is aging, there's no way to avoid it. Years aren't a super important factor unless the series for your OC explicitly tells out what year it is.

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><p><strong>Star Sign, Chinese Zodiac, Blood Type<strong>

I have never met a person who has actually done any of these for their OCs, but have seen some characters with this really-not-needed information. Just keep in mind that when choosing their zodiac or star sign to actually make it match with their birthday. Example: Anyone born between Oct. 23 and Nov. 22 is a Scorpio. No exceptions.

And unless blood type actually comes up where like your OC is a match for someone, then there really is no need to cover blood type.

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><p><strong>Hope this helps! Stay tuned for chapter 2: Physical Descriptions!<strong>

**~ZP**


	3. Physical Description

**I'm really glad people are finding this helpful. That's all I wanted it to be: helpful! Unlike my other stuff, I won't be replying to reviews unless they specifically ask me a question. So in this chapter, we'll cover physical appearance.**

**Mayyam, I'm glad you asked that. Character history is a major part about OCs and I will be covering it. If you go back to the introduction, you can see the table of contents. I will be uploading in that order.**

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><p><strong>P<strong>**HYSICAL DESCRIPTION**

So this is where we'll talk about your OCs physical appearance. We'll start with body shapes and then move up to clothing. I recommend that you draw a picture of your OC and post it on sites like deviantART. I say this because it is really a waste of time to spend an entire paragraph describing every little details of your OC's looks. Even then, how people picture it may not even be the same as she actually looks. So provide a link to what she looks like and bing bang boom, you're done!

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><p><strong>Physique<strong>

The true base of your entire OC's appearance. Easily linked with height and weight, their body shape and physical fitness should account for everything they are able to do. For example, vigilantes should be very well built in order to fight crime and climb buildings. Before deciding on the body type, keep in mind these factors that will affect your OCs physique.

**Ethnicity: **Your OC's origin will affect things like hair, eye and skin color as well as physique. Do some research on the common physical traits of ethnic groups.

**Age: **The age of your OC will directly affect their build. If your OC is under 18, they should still be relatively small when compared to adults. They are still growing after all. Be realistic.

**Note:** Do not, I repeat, DO NOT GIVE YOUR OC INSANELY LARGE BREASTS! It makes them look like a whore and is just physically impossible. If she is pre-puberty, then there is no way she could have that large of a chest. Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child becomes an adult. Children don't have boobs, adults do. Here's a simple test to see if your OC's breasts are too big (test only works if the picture of your OC is not angled in any way, such as bird's eye view). If one breast is the same size and/or bigger than your OC's face/head, then it's too big.

**Lifestyle: **How does your OC go about their day-to-day routine? Because that will affect their body. If they work out regularly, then they will be slim and well built, but they're not going to be supermodels if all they do is sit on the couch and eat.

Ok, now that we've gone over those key points, lets move on to the body types. Keep the above in mind when selecting a body type. Below are some examples of different body types.

**Super skinny:** Characters are super skinny and therefore shouldn't be able to do many physically demanding activities and should be very weak. As such, they have little energy and you should be able to see their bones on the surface of the skin.

**Slim:** Skinny, but not super skinny, and easy to show off their curves. This is one of the most commonly used body type among OCs. People tend to choose this physique for their characters to make them physically appealing. About 50% of OCs with slim bodies either dress like a slut or can't take care of themselves and as soon as danger strikes, they run to the arms of their strong protector/love interest. But, keep in mind that just because she's small, doesn't mean she can't take care of herself.

**Athletic:** This is another one of the most commonly used body types. Athletic people should be relatively muscular to account for all the activities they would do. Example: Batman is at the peak of human physical conditioning for all that crime fighting he does. BUT, you're OC's athletic build has to not only be reasonable, but if has to be explained. If your OC has never done any form of working out but is very well built, then you've got a soon-to-be Mary Sue. So if she's strong and resilient, she must have some form of physical work out to back it up.

**Chubby:** Chubby people are neither overweight nor skinny, they are the in between. So, chubby people will have a bit of a gut forming and thicker arms, legs, etc. than average sized people.

**Overweight:** Overweight build is easy to explain…and I can't do this without sounding mean so I apologize if anyone takes this offensively. Overweight people will be shaped like spheres, their skin will fold over like flaps and their feet will looks small in comparison to the rest of their body. Oh god, I feel really bad about that…there was really no nice way of saying it huh? Once again, my apologies! I have NEVER seen an overweight OC, so it would be really unique and non-Mary Sue to do one.

**No Shape:** If your OC is not human, then they don't have to have the human shape. Proportions can be played around with and they could even be ethereal! Experiment!

All right, we now have the base of your OCs appearance. Now let's move on to appearance.

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><p><strong>Hair Style<strong>

I covered hair color in the basic information section so let's talk about hairstyle here. I would have covered eye style too, but I already covered eye shapes in the first chapter.

I'm not going to go over every single hairstyle there is because there are just so many I don't even know where to begin. So I will just be going over the basic ones. Just keep in mind to have the hairstyle reflect your OCs personality and their clothing style.

**Pigtails**: Pigtails are commonly used for the super cute and bubbly girls.

**Short:** Short hair is commonly associated with confident, rebellious and tomboy-like characters.

**Medium: **Medium is the most common choice for OCs because it's kinda the default setting for hair styles.

**Long: **Long elegant, flowing hair is typically associated with very mature women who are extremely beautiful.

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><p><strong>Clothing Style<strong>

Here's where a lot of animes and cartoons mess things up. They always show characters wearing the EXACT SAME OUTFIT every episode! That is not true in real life, where we have all sorts of outfits in our wardrobe. So the real issue here is not outfit, but rather, clothing style and fashion. What does your OC like to wear? Anything specific?

Now these descriptions of styles are to the best of MY understanding. You could pull of wearing the same outfit, but I do suggest changing the color to keep things diverse. If I missed any styles, let me know!

**Simple:** Your OC likes to rock it with just a plain T-shirt and jeans! Nothing too flashy, just plain and simple! Most common choice and easy for beginners.

**Girly:** Like that top totally goes with your shoes and belt! If your OC is a girly girl, they should have endless type of clothes and different outfits at their disposal. Common items include, skirts, frilly shirts, cute shorts and jeans, sandals, high heels, and accessories. The only problem for a girly girl is when something she buys goes out of style and she has to get the next latest thing.

**Preppy: **Preppy clothes are usually classy and clean-cut and always match. Use bright colors for the clothes, but don't go overboard. Common items include polos, vests, sweaters, blazers, khaki pants, shirts, Bermuda shorts, and tennis and golf-like clothes.

**Athletic:** Is your OC a jock or athletic? If so, then they should usually be seen rocking the shorts, running shoes, wristbands and jersey. Anything with a big number is good!

**Fancy:** No, not Medieval or Renaissance fancy, I mean aristocratic and high social status fancy. Don't go as far as giving your OC a suit to wear all the time but stick with things like not-too-formal dresses and even blouses with sweaters and dress pants, anything that makes them look prim and proper.

**Punk/Rock:** Characters that fall into this category will often be seen wearing old beat up clothing with scratches. Common items include chains, gloves, skateboards and skate shoes, toques, and shorts.

**Goth:** One word: Black. Three more words: All of it. Goths wear black, head to toe and therefore are easily distinguished in the public eye. Goths wear black make up, so don't forget that detail. Common items include leather, fishnets, transparent clothes, boots, chains, and spikes.

**Emo/Scene: **Emo and Scene styles are relatively the same and should include skinny jeans, classic shoes, and graphic tees. Accessorizing with belts, sunglasses and piercing are a good idea.

**Indie: **Indie is an independent style where you're not trying to follow any trend or conform to a certain, widely identified style.

**80's:** Good luck pulling this off. 80's clothes are bright and made of stretchy lululemon-like material. A common accessory would be jelly bracelets.

**Vintage: **Vintage clothes are clothes that are reminiscent of the previous era.

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><p><strong>Unique Features<strong>

Does your character have any scars? Birthmarks? Tattoos? Anything unique that wouldn't have it's own specific category? Birthmarks and tattoos are a really great way to mark your OC in some unique way. Does their birthmark have a hidden meaning? Is there a message beneath all that ink? Also, scars are wonderful. They show just how much your OC has been through. And it's impossible to go through fights and shit without having scars to prove it. Does your OC have a vicious facial scar? How did they get it?

Is your OC disabled or handicapped in any way? How does that disability affect their performance, day-to-day life and relationship with other? Avoid creating an event where your OCs disability is miraculously healed. That's a Mary Sue trait right there.

**Features to Avoid**

**Scar over the eye**: it's been done before too many times now.

**Crescent Moon mark on the forehead**:Can we say Sailor Moon?

**Wings, horns, tails, etc:** Exception: Such details are normal in the world your OC belongs in, such as DC or Marvel.

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><p><strong>Hope that helps with conceiving your OC's looks!<strong>

**Next chapter: Personalities.**

**~ZP**


	4. Personality  The Types

**Let's begin! I hope this guide is helping people! Once again, I am not an OC expert and this is not intended to flame anyone's OCs. It is purely intended to help.**

**This guide belongs to me.**

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><p><strong>PERSONALITY - The Types<strong>

Personality, another very easy way to screw over your character, so you must be careful when choosing how your OC acts. Now, when thinking about personality, it not only means how your OC will act but how she behaves and interacts with others and how others perceive her because of it. More of that will be covered in the Relationships section.

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><p><strong>Morality<strong>

Before I start with personalities, which will be a big section, I just want to cover the small section of morality.

Is your OC good or evil? Or is she neutral? When your OC comes across conflicts, she must be either good or evil or even neutral. How does that affect their interaction with other characters? There are really only four main choices here that I can think of: Neutral, Evil, Good and Anti-Hero, their in between.

**Good:** Your OC doesn't stand for injustice and must stomp out all evil that threatens the greater good and the innocent. They are willing to sacrifice themselves in order to save others. Because of their good-hearted nature, they are easily taken advantage of by the antagonists, especially antagonists that claim to have changed their ways. In addition, they often follow the Batman rule: never kill the bad guy, no matter what. But…maybe your OC is willing to take a life of such a wretched person? Example: Series main protagonist

**Anti-Hero: **Your OC does know right from wrong but chooses whichever side she wants for her own benefit. However, they often will side with the good guy, resulting in being viewed as a very useful and dependable ally by the protagonist, and enjoys fighting against the bad guy even if she isn't on the side of good. They will however, go to the bad guys if they need something from them. Example: Shadow the Hedgehog

**Evil: **Your OC is bad to the bone and won't stop until everyone bows down to them. They're willing to take lives and has no regard for the safety of others. Misery and pain bring a smile to their face and people just find them so repulsing and can't wait to see them get what they deserve. Example: Kazarina

**Neutral:** Your OC is neither good nor bad and as a result is often caught between the war of good and evil. Maybe they choose not to take sides and do whatever suits their interests like the anti-hero. Does your OC have friends on the side of good and evil? Does it force her to choose sides?

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><p><strong>Personality<strong>

Ah, another way to totally mess up your character. Personality is an essential way to develop your character but is also a really easy way to screw her over and turn her into a Mary Sue, something we desperately do not want. There are many types of personalities so I will try to go over each of them. However, because I will be covering the character "types," I won't go too detailed into personalities. I may not have thought of all of them so I will use examples mostly from Bakugan and some other animes.

**You:** Chances our, if this is your first OC, you've based her personality of your own. This is an ok way to begin with your first OC, but don't resort to this when making more OCs later on because all of them will be the same. Be diverse! Series are only so successful because of the characters and how different they are.

**Timid/Shy:** Your OC is quiet with a case of low self-esteem. She doesn't talk much nor does she voice her opinion on anything important. As a result, she'll likely hide behind her hair and hug herself, trying to draw as less attention to herself as possible. But will she stay timid all her life? Or will she grow more confident?

**Social:** The opposite of timid and shy, your OC is loud and proud. She isn't afraid to get in there and say what's on her mind, even if everyone won't agree with her. She would have lots of friends, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't have enemies too!

**Rebellious: **Your OC doesn't give a crap about the rules and takes pride in breaking them for fun. She makes sarcastic and rude comments and its her way or the highway!

**Arrogant:** Your OC thinks she's the best and everyone else sucks in comparison. As a result, a lot of people despise her and she thinks nothing is impossible for her to accomplish, which often results in them getting into serious trouble.

**Anti-Social:** Like the timid and shy character, your OC won't communicate much, but it's not out of self-esteem, your OC just doesn't want to be bothered. These are commonly associated with the hot, cold-hearted male of the series.

Split personalities are very hard to pull off. As such, I wouldn't recommend choosing more than one type of personality for your OC. It takes a really good author to successfully pull off multiple personalities. Therefore, if you do want to try and tackle such an ordeal, I highly suggest doing research on multiple personalities.

An important thing to do is not to have your OC bounce back and forth through two different personalities. Keep them in character! And have them develop! People change! People don't act the same as adults like they did as teenagers.

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><p><strong>The Types<strong>

Now that we've gone over the basic personality types, let's talk about character types. This is very close to personalities, but I felt it would be much more useful to go through each type of character and how they should act. Most characters will fall into one or two of these categories, as they express similar traits. Avoid having your character match more than two of the character types. Having a character of all personality traits is both unrealistic and a Mary Sue quality.

**The Hero:** The hero is always good and stands for everything that is just and right. He can't stand watching innocents being abused and will always step in wherever he sees injustice. Heroes have a high morality and often try to sway antagonists to change their ways and embrace the side of good, which often leads to being taken advantage of because of their good-heartedness. They are stubborn, which means they won't always take the advice they're given, and seem highly unqualified to lead their team, but everyone accepts him nonetheless. The Hero will often be the object of many ladies' affections and is easily considered a Mary Sue due to their "I'm the strongest and no one can beat me" quality

Example: Dan Kuso (Bakugan) and Tyson Granger (Beyblade)

**The Loner:** The Loner is usually the object of many fangirls attention and is usually the most attractive in the group. Likely due to some childhood trauma, he doesn't like to talk much but still expresses care for his friends, even if it's not very direct and obvious. They are often seem lingering with the group, but out of plain sight and leaning against the wall with their eyes closed. They almost always seem like the one who should be in charge instead of the Hero, but for some reason, they don't take up the leadership post.

Example: Shun Kazami (Bakugan) and Kai Hiwatari (Beyblade)

**The Brain/Mechanic:** There's always a brain somewhere in the group. Everyone comes to the Brain for help and advice, even they don't always accept it. The Brain is not as experienced as the other characters, but he's valuable nonetheless. But despite that, his friends do make fun of him, but in the friendly way of course. The Brain has a lot to prove of himself, so include that.

Example: Marucho Marukura (Bakugan) and Tech E. Coyote (Loonatics)

**The Second-in-command (SIC):** Though they may not actually be second-in-command, this kind of character often clashes with the Hero in terms of leadership and what to do. They think too much of themselves and are just as headstrong as the Hero, thinking they are better than the Hero and deserve to be in charge instead. But when things get rough, the SIC can be counted on, provided he isn't in a fight with the Hero.

Example: Runo Misaki (Bakugan) and Yamato Ishida (Digimon)

**The Cheerleader:** Almost always a female, the cheerleader typically isn't as skilled as the rest of the main cast. Her main purpose is to spread the wonder and awesomeness of the group as well as keep the group close together during hard times. She tries to be included in everything the team does.

Example: Julie Makimoto (Bakugan) and Hilary Tachibana (Beyblade)

**The Ditz:** The Ditz is the idiot of the group, usually female and usually extremely hot. She doesn't have any real purpose but to incite possible feuds between the main characters. She is unrealistically dumb as a doorknob (sorry doorknobs, don't take offense to that) and serves no real purpose overall.

**The Mentor/Wiseman:** Every group of heroes has their mentor whom they turn to for advice and when times are rough. The Mentor is usually in their adult or elderly years and never directly tells the heroes what they need to know, mostly communicating in riddles, believing that they will figure it out themselves when the time is right. The protagonists will see the Mentor as silly and ridiculous if the coded advice doesn't help them, but will come to realize just how brilliant they truly were. They rarely take part in the field but will intervene if it is really needed and the heroes are losing.

Example: Oogway (Kung Fu Panda), Dumbledore (HP) and Iroh (Avatar: TLA)

**The Brawn/Jock:** The muscle usually isn't that bright, but makes up for it in brute strength. They're usually very loyal to the Hero and are first to defend him from insults and other things. Like the Hero, the Brawn is usually easily manipulated due to their kind heart. In some cases, the Brawn may not be loyal to the Hero himself.

Example: Jake Vallory (Bakugan), 8 (9) and Slam Tasmania (Loonatics)

**The Rookie/Newbie:** There's always a rookie and he always sucks, not in the way that no one likes him, he just isn't good at what he does. He's very new to whatever it is the series is about and greatly looks up to the Hero as his mentor and superior, often following him around asking for advice as well as to recount various adventures. They are eager to learn and can't wait to improve with the help of their idol.

Example: Baron Leltoy (Bakugan) and Miss Martian (Young Justice)

**The Anti-Hero: **The Anti-Hero…I pretty much said everything about the anti-hero in the Morality section just read that. Your OC does know right from wrong but chooses whichever side she wants for her own benefit. However, they often will side with the good guy, resulting in being viewed as a very useful and dependable ally by the protagonist, and enjoys fighting against the bad guy even if she isn't on the side of good. They will however, go to the bad guys if they need something from them.

Example: Shadow the Hedgehog and Zuko (Avatar: TLA season 2)

**The Sweet Girl: **Your OC is so nice it's enough to make you vomit! They're so sweet and caring, it almost makes them the Dtiz character, except they aren't dumb as a stump (sorry stumps). She may actually be a little dense and oblivious to certain things, but she is still kinda smart in some way. The Sweet Girl usually dislikes any form of violence and tries to pacify any conflict they can.

Example: Alice Gehabich (Bakugan)

**The Rival:** The Rival is the Hero's biggest challenge right next to the series antagonist. He isn't very concerned with their master (the main bad guy)'s plans or following their orders and only cares about one-uping the Hero, whom they have constantly lost to. He and the Hero have a bond that could potentially turn into friendship, and this causes confliction for the Rival. So the question is, will he accept the offer and change his ways (Spectra) or stay with what he knows and seal his fate (Anubias)?

Example: Masquerade, Spectra and Anubias (Bakugan)

**The Villain:** The Villain is the main, big baddie of the series. He won't stop until everyone follows his rule, whether it be willingly or by force. He's also power hungry and nothing will be able to satisfy his craving and greed for ultimate power, which may lead to his undoing and downfall. The Villain is almost always immune to the "turn to the good side" speech and also gives the Hero a "join me and we will rule" speech. To him, pawns are expendable and once they serve their purpose, they are useless.

Example: Barodius/Mag Mel (Bakugan) and Ozai (Avatar: TLA)

**The Witch:** With every Villain, there's his female partner the Witch, unless your Villain is female already. The Witch shares the same ideals as the Villain and is forever loyal to him. She believes that she will be rewarded for her successes…and punished for her failures. The Witch would be more easily swayed by a side-switching speech from Hero, but it still unlikely to do so. Her methods are cruel and she will do anything to please her master.

Example: Azula (Avatar: TLA) and Kazarina (Bakugan)

**The Idealist:** The Idealist is often a character who can see the situation through the third person perspective, without the bias opinion of the Hero and Villain and their group. They are smart enough to know what's right and who they should be fighting for. They have an ideal view and will likely side with the group with whom they can achieve that goal.

Example: Nurzak (Bakugan)

**The Nurturer:** The Nurturer is the caretaker of the group and acts much like a mother figure to people who aren't even her own children. She doesn't normally take part in the team's activities but is always there to lend a hand and scold them should they be too rough and reckless.

Example: Molly Weasley (HP)

**The Royal:** The Royal does not necessarily have to be of royal blood, they just need a powerful position like that of a King. There are three types of royals: the Corrupt, the Benevolent and the Rebellious. The Corrupt Royal rules with an iron fist and cares nothing for the welfare of his people, seeking to further his own wealth by any means necessary, most commonly with high taxes. The Benevolent Royal is the opposite of the Corrupt and cares only for the safety of his people, putting their welfare before his own at all times. Beloved by all, it is rare that anyone will dislike the Benevolent Royal. Finally, there's the Rebellious Royal who will commonly suffer from "rebellious princess syndrome." The Rebellious Royal dislikes her position and doesn't want to have the burden and responsibility of being the ruler on her shoulders. She tries everything she can to escape her high-status life, even going so far as to run away from home.

Example: Logan (Fable), Fabia Sheen (Bakugan) and Peregrine (Storm Hawks)

**The Tomboy:** The Tomboy is a girl, but basically acts like a boy. She's not afraid to get down and dirty in rough sports and scratches on her skin have no affect on her. Despite her different interests and attitude, she still gets along with her other more girly friends.

Example: Makoto Kino (Sailor Moon)

**The Soldier:** The Soldier follows orders, no question. He is loyal to commanding officers and doesn't hesitate in battle. But, perhaps something changes and the Solder is no longer happy with the orders he's expected to carry out.

Example: Elright (Bakugan) and Garrus Vakarian (Mass Effect)

**The Comedy Relief:** Ah, the Comedy Relief. This character is often portrayed as incompetent and everything he does is supposed to be funny. He's not meant to be the most popular character, and is really only meant to bring some comedy in a serious plot.

Example: Sokka (Avatar: TLA) and Danger Duck (Loonatics)

**The Expert:** The Expert is really, really good at what they do and often views other as lesser skilled and insignificant compared to themselves. They're not one to accept help, usually out of knowing they won't do as good of a job, and prefer doing things on their own.

Example: Batman

**The Non-Modern:** There isn't really a specific way to describe this since I kinda made this character up. There's two kinds. The first is a man out of his time, such as Captain America. They were born and raised in another time period and are suddenly thrust into a different time where everything is different. Another issue would be that behavior and views that the Non-Modern had during their time may not be socially acceptable in their new timeline. The second kind is the character born in modern times, but chooses and dress and act like he's from another time period.

**The Geek:** The Geek is very similar to the Brain, but the Geek is an all out dork. He's obsessed with things that aren't really of interest to others and takes his fandom to the extreme, occasionally reciting lines or even referencing material. Geeks typically don't have very good social skills and as such are usually cooped up in their room or mother's basement. They don't interact much with girls, so they are very shy.

**The Twins:** Where would we be without the mischievous twins? There are two types of twins: the close twins and the estranged twins. The close twins are as close as anyone can be. They do everything together and make all sorts of plots for jokes. They even finish each other's sentences. They are an unstoppable duo and everyone loves them, except when they are prank vicimts! The estranged twins on the other hand have a fractured relationship. Their interactions will be awkward and they will dislike every second they have to spend with each other. Good luck repairing this relationship.

Example: Fred and George (HP) and Hikaru and Kaoru (Ouran)

**The Celebrity:** Similar to a diva, there are two kinds of celebrities: the modest and the crazy. The modest celebrity is famous, but prefers to be treated like a regular person and dislikes all the attention he receives. The crazy celebrity however, loves the attention and milks it as much as he possibly can. He'll throw all sorts of tantrums if even the tiniest thing doesn't go his way. No amount of cameras can catch the size of his ego.

Example: Harry Potter and Gilderoy Lockhart (HP)

**The Scientist: **The Scientist is an intelligent assistant to the Villain. He's usually just as evil as the Villain and willing to go that extra crazy mile or he's being forced to work for the bad guys against his will. He is purely interested in science.

**The Double Agent:** The Double Agent is someone who has betrayed the heroes (or villains if you want) and had always been secretly working for the villains. However, they could either be completely loyal to the villain, or they could have regrets about betraying the people who accepted him as their friend, which often drives them to return to the side of the heroes.

Example: Ren Krawler (Bakugan)

**The Triple Agent:** Like the Double Agent, the Triple Agent has convinced both sides that he is working with the other but secretly loyal to them, leaving it completely unclear as to what side he is truly on. Everything he does is shrouded in mystery and confusion and aids both sides. It is not until the end when his true loyalties are revealed.

Example: Severus Snape (HP)

It's very likely that I missed a character type. Believe me a took a while to think of all of these. If I missed one, let me know!

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><p><strong>I really hope I covered most, if not all the character types. They were actually really fun to talk about! Hope this helps. Remember, personality is a very easy way to mess up your character and turn them to the path of the Mary Sue. Keep them in character and don't have them bounce back and forth. Also, when writing fanfictions with pairings, it's important to keep the canon character in character, because many people make them OOC.<strong>

**Next Chapter: Interests and Beliefs**

**Good luck**

**~ZP**


	5. Interests and Beliefs

**So this chapter isn't as important as any of the others, but is a part of building you OC nonetheless. Once again, this guide isn't meant to flame anyone and I hope it helps with making your OCs.**

**INTERESTS AND BELIEFS**

To make your OC more realistic, they have to have interests and beliefs. It's only natural. So in this section we'll cover all the aspects of your OC's personal hobbies and other things.

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><p><strong>LikesDislikes**

What does your OC like? What does she dislike? There are many things that can be liked and disliked so I'll just go over some basic places to start.

**Common Likes/Dislikes**

**Food and Drink**  
><strong>Media (movies, television, music)<strong>  
><strong>Books<strong>  
><strong>Pass times<strong>  
><strong>Places, weather<strong>  
><strong>Animals and plants<strong>  
><strong>Activities<strong>

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><p><strong>Hobbies<strong>

Now that we've gotten likes and dislikes out of the way, let's move on to hobbies. What does your OC enjoy doing in their spare time? How dedicated are they to this hobby? Is this hobby and good or bad one and how does it affect her relationship with other characters? Is this a hobby that she wants to pursue and turn into a career?

**Common Hobbies**

**Sports**  
><strong>Reading and Literature<strong>  
><strong>Arts<strong>  
><strong>Food<strong>  
><strong>Games <strong>(video, card, board, roleplaying, computer)  
><strong>Photography<strong>  
><strong>Fishing<strong>  
><strong>Gardening<strong>  
><strong>Music<strong>  
><strong>Traveling<strong>  
><strong>Sewing<strong>

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><p><strong>Habits<strong>

Habits, we all have them, good and bad. Habits are usually bad and often negatively affect your OCs interaction and relationship with other people. Here is a list of the nine most common bad habits:

**Overeating:** Overeating (particularly the wrong and unhealthy kinds of food) can often be caused by depression and other things and lead to serious health problems.

**Smoking:** It only takes one little puff to become a smoking addict and each cigarette shaves minutes off your life! But does your OC have the will power to fight the craving?

**Gossiping:** Everyone does it and for some reason people just feed on possibly true or false stories about other people and things they may have done. It's the most common thing people do when they're not busy. It's a common self-esteem booster to talk badly about other people. Will your OC fall into that or be the better person?

**Spending money unnecessarily:** This is how people waste hours of their hard earned money on things they don't even need.

**Wasting time:** People waste time all the time whenever they're not doing what they should be doing. It's not a very big bad habit, but it's one of the most common

**Lying:** Does anyone know somebody who is 100% honest? I doubt it. People lie, the degree of which varies.

**Drinking:** What may usually start as a group event, can turn into a serious problem affecting family and friends

**Cheating:** People cheat all the time whether it be on tests at school, the law or even with other people. If your OC is in a relationship, how will they cope when they're loved one is caught cheating on them, or the other way around?

**Drugs:** Like drinking, drugs can be a serious problem on a person that affects family.

Now your OCs habit doesn't have to be a good one. It can be a horrible one that ruins their life! Be creative and take some risks. Try to see what happens if one of your OCs bad habits develops into an addiction.

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><p><strong>Addictions<strong>

Addictions! As I said in the Habits section, bad habits can lead to serious addictions. They can be as simple as video games addictions or shopping addictions while the most common being drugs, alcohol, smoking, gambling. Like habits, addictions seriously affect a character's life and their relationships, often causing interventions. Does your OC go to self help groups? It could even be as serious as a sex addiction. O_o

Here's an interesting fact: Roy Harper/Red Arrow is most famous for his heroine addiction. So definitely play around with addictions. But try not to have more than one. That can kill someone really easy, esp. is it's a combination of drinking, drugs and smoking. Try to limit it to one or two addictions and don't go too overboard.

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><p><strong>Obsessions<strong>

A more serious version of addictions, obsessions can lead people to do crazy, and I mean crazy things. Your OC could be obsessed with a person, an object, whatever! So how far is your OC willing to take this obsession?

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><p><strong>Fears<strong>

Fears, everybody has them. No character is fearless. It's only natural to be a afraid of something, whether it be as simple as a fear of spiders or as complex as fear of having peanut butter stuck on the roof of your mouth. Yes, there's a phobia for that. Here's a list of the top 10 fears which will be a good place for you to start:

**Flying (Aerophobia)  
><strong>**Public Speaking (Glossophobia)  
><strong>**Heights (Acrophobia)  
><strong>**The dark (Nyctophobia)  
><strong>**Intimacy:** Both men and women can suffer from this!  
><strong>Death (Necrophobia)<br>****Failure (Kakorrhaphiophobia)  
><strong>**Rejection  
><strong>**Spiders (Arachnophobia)  
><strong>**Commitment (Commitmentphobia)**

There are still many kinds of fears and phobias and your OC can suffer from AS MANY OF THEM AS YOU WANT! The only question is then, how serious are the phobias? Are they so strong that they can barely stand straight or are they just mild? And how does it affect their performance and relationship with other people?

I suggest doing research on some common fears before making your way up to the really big ones.

* * *

><p><strong>Occupation<strong>

Does your OC work? What is their job? How serious are they about it? Is it just a short term thing or do they intend it being their career? Your OC doesn't have to have a job, but as they go into their adult years, it would be more realistic if they did so. This isn't really something you need to worry about for pre-teen and teen OCs, but it's common for that age group to get summer jobs.

* * *

><p><strong>Education<strong>

Your OC must have some level of education, whether it be very high or none at all! The school system varies in many countries so do some research on how the school system is in the country of origin for your OC to determine what level or grade they would be at.

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><p><strong>Religion<strong>

Religion is a common detail for characters. How religious is your OC? How serious are they about it? Do they live their life completely by their religious laws or do they not really care about it? Religious views can cause friction with other character in terms of interaction and relationship. For example: there would likely be friction between a passionate Christian and a homosexual. So, do some in depth research in the religion you choose for your OC (and you don't have to choose one, this is optional) in order to make their relationships with others realistic and make sure you get your details right. People will chew you out for getting something wrong about a religion.

* * *

><p><strong>Beliefs<strong>

Similar to religion, your OC must have some sort of belief system. It doesn't have to be associated with religion and can be as simple as Batman's belief/rule to never kill anyone in his pursuit for justice. So, what does your OC believe in? Do those views clash with others? And will those views change? For all you know, there could be an event that drastically changes your OCs beliefs.

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><p><strong>Role Model<strong>

It's very common to have a role model in real life, someone to look up to whom you aspire to be like in almost every way. Role models are usually depicted as strong, popular and brave. I'll be honest, my childhood role model was Cybersix. So, your OC's role model doesn't even have to be a real person! It can be whoever they want to be.

So what is your OC's role model like? Does your OC aspire to be just like them, or only partly? Do they ever achieve that? Do they change role models?

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><p><strong>So hopefully you've given some more depth to your OC by giving them likes and dislikes. Once again, it's not required, but helpful for making your OC believable and realistic. <strong>

**Cheers and good luck! ~ZP**


	6. Relationships

**So I wrote this on my flight home lol. It was hours long so I had time hehe ^^ This chapter is about relationships between your OCs and other characters. I may not have covered every type of relationship but that's because I probably didn't think of all of them.**

**Review Replies: **

**Just in general I'm glad some people are liking this and I hope it helps!**

**Once again, this guide is not intended to insult any OCs. Only intended to help.**

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><p><strong>RELATIONSHIPS<strong>

Relationships are another crucial way of making your OC believable and more realistic. Like in real life, people interact with each other and form relationships, both good and bad. How your OC interacts with other characters is a great way to make them more real.

**Types of Relationships**

There are tons of types of relationships but there isn't a set-in-stone form for each of them. Below, I'll outline some of the most common types of relationships between people.

**Family**

How does your OC interact with their family members? Is their family still alive even? And how does that affect them and their interaction with other people?

**Parent-Child:** How does your OC get along with their parents/authoritative figure? Are they well-behaved and listen to their parents or are they completely rebellious? Does your OC hate them and love them or are they somewhere in between? Are they adoptive/foster parents and how does that affect their relationship?

Parents are the people who raised your OC, biological or not. Everything they're done has been to make sure they can take care of themselves once they're older. Or perhaps, their parents don't give a damn and cast them out. Be creative and experiment. How your OC was raised will determine how they act as teens and adults as well as how they interact with their parents.

**Siblings:**Does your OC have brothers and sisters and how do they get along? Is it a loving relationship or is it a love-hate one?

Take into account that age difference can affect their relationship. Typically a teen and his younger sibling by a few years do not get along that well with the teen usually performing some sort of playful abuse while the younger sibling usually plays pranks. Siblings can also count as a parent figure or as a role model to your OC.

**Friends and Allies**

Who are your OC's friends and do they get along? As for allies, just because they're working together, it doesn't mean they have to like each other, let alone get along.

**Best Friends: **Your OC likely has someone they consider their best friend, unless they are complete loners, but even those types of characters have friends they care about. How did they meet? Are they childhood friends? What brought them together and are they still friends now?

Your OCs' best friend is like their partner in crime. They share everything and always forgive no matter what (almost). In some cases the two are exactly alike (though this is a bit boring as they are essentially the same person) or they are complete opposites but complete each other in the process. Your OC's BFF will usually be the first person to sense that something is wrong or that their friend is in danger and needs help. They would easily sacrifice themselves to save their friend.

However, not all friendships last. Does your OC have a falling out with the best friend or is one event in their lives so catastrophic that it completely destroyed their friendship? Remember, people don't stay best friends forever and having the relationship break apart during plot and character development can be a very useful and interesting tool.

**Lover:** Does your OC have a love interest? What is it about the love interest that attracts your OC's affections or vice versa? And do they start out as lovers or does it just begin with a harmless little crush? And just how far is your OC willing to go to get guy/girl?

Romance is a great way to create more interactions between characters. Perhaps two people are after the same person and that puts them in conflict with each other. And is the love even reciprocated in the first place. Play around with how you want the romance to play out.

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Like with friendships, not all love relationships will last. People change and that just may be enough for one person to want to end it. Or perhaps one person is just promiscuous and has an affair or maybe they just lose interest in their lover. Either way, the end of a relationship is great character development.

**Note:** For characters, esp. canon characters, it's very easy to end up portraying them out of character when pairing them with someone they are not paired with in the original series. Try to keep them in character, esp. the cold hearted loners.

**Acquaintances:** Acquaintances are not friends, just people they know and are aware of. But perhaps they have the potential to become friends.

**Boss-Subordinate: **Does your OC have someone they report to or someone who works beneath them? How do they interact with them? Are they a kind boss or are they just ruthless and mean?

**Former Enemy turned Friend: **Does your OC have a rival that has now become one of their closest friends? How did they use to interact with each other and what has changed about their relationship? Did the hero persuade the rival to turn good? Or was it the other way around?

**Antagonists**

There's always some interaction with the bad guys. Even if they're not on the same side, they will have some form of relationship, good or bad.

**Hero-Villain:** The Hero and Villain hate each other and are committed to destroying each other. But how far are they willing to go? The Villain usually has no remorse whatsoever about killing, but perhaps the hero has such high morals that they don't take lives. Or are they willing to kill someone for the greater good? Are they alike? Is there something similar about them that could potentially ruin one side?

**Hero-Rival:** The Hero and Rival are likely closer with each other than the Hero is with the Villain. They are more alike each other and as mentioned before, perhaps one of them could change their morals. Everyone loves a good villain turned hero, but it's difficult to pull off the hero turned villain.

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><p><strong>Sexual Orientation<strong>

Does your OC have to be straight? No! They can be gay or even bi! I have yet to see a gay or bi OC myself but I think it would be very interesting to see one pulled off well.

How does that affect their relationships with other people? Are their friends and family accepting of their choice or are they constantly harassed and abused because of it? Or are they still in the closet and trying to convince themselves of otherwise? Does their sexual choice conflict with any religious belief? Is your OC's love interest of the same orientation? And how does that affect the relationships and their quest to find love?

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><p><strong>Perception<strong>

Now that we've covered relationships, let's talk about perception. How do people see your OC? Are they generally loved or hated? Do they have someone who thinks low of them? Not everyone (when I say this I mean other characters) is going to like your OC so there has to be some sort of conflict.

Warning: Making your OC generally loved by everyone makes them one step closer to becoming a Mary Sue.

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><p><strong>Hope that helps! <strong>

**Next Chapter: Skills and Abilities.**

**~ZP**


	7. Abilities

**I'm glad this is helping people. Sorry for the long wait, but I've been preoccupied with school and my other fics and art. I'm hoping to wrap this up soon.**

* * *

><p><strong>ABILITIES<strong>

Abilities are what make your OC unique and different from other characters. Is there something special that your OC can do that nobody else can? Were they born with them or did they get their powers from some sort of freak science experiment or random event?

When giving your OC skills, be sure to remember two things: giving them too many abilities and powers puts them that much closer to being a Mary Sue and if you're going to give your OC some sort of super/special power, make sure that powers like ones you may be thinking of are natural and make sense in the universe/series your putting them it.

Example: Powers such as super strength or telepathy would be generally acceptable and considered normal in the Marvel/DC Comics universe, but not in something like Pokémon. Giving an OC for something like Pokémon super strength just makes them more of a Mary Sue. Also, try to avoid giving them too many powers…*cough* Superman *cough*

Therefore, don't go overboard with the powers and keep them realistic (depending on the world they're set in).

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><p><strong>Powers and Skills<strong>

There's two kinds of main abilities: powers and skills. Powers are more of supernatural abilities that are not normally seen in a regular human. Examples are super strength, flight, telekinesis. Meanwhile, skills are an ability that can be honed to near perfection. Examples include archery, martial arts, computer expertise.

So now that we know the difference, decide what you want for your character. If your OC is a superhero, they should generally have some sort of knowledge of martial arts or combat, as it would be something they'd engage in quite often (technically that would be a skill). If you can't decide on what abilities to give your OC, a great place to consult is the mass amounts of characters of the DC Comics and Marvel universe. They are filled with hundreds of characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses and it will be a great library-like resource for types and kinds of powers.

Now when it comes to the skills, you want them to be believable. With powers it's not as important because they could either be born with them or gain their powers in some freak accident or something. But what I mean for skills is, you can't expect an average teenager with no background or experience in martial arts to be an expert fighter. It's just not believable. If they're going to be some badass fighter, they'd have to go through years of physical training, toning their body to peak human conditioning. With other skills, like maybe a genius computer hacker for example, they should at least have shown some interest or natural ability in the area. Making your character's abilities believable is all part of making your characters believable and realistic.

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><p><strong>Weakness<strong>

Weaknesses. Every character has them. And if they don't, what are they? I'm sure I don't need to tell you. Weaknesses can be physical and/or emotional/psychological. They can take the form of many things, whether it be something that strips them of their powers (i.e. Kryptonite takes away Superman's powers), a time limit (i.e. Hourman's powers only last an hour when he uses them), uselessness during certain conditions (i.e. Colonel Mustang cannot do flame alchemy when he's wet or it's raining) and the classic, loved ones.

Threatening the safety of loved ones is one of the most commonly used kinds of weaknesses of all time. What do you do when you want a superhero to do your bidding? Easy, just find his loved ones and take them hostage!

Another thing is that weaknesses don't always have to be physical weaknesses. They can be mental too. Maybe your OC has a personality attribute that negatively affects the situation. Maybe they're cocky and get into trouble all the time, maybe they're stubborn and can't work with others which may jeopardize their mission or maybe they're immature and don't take things seriously.

No one is perfect. They have flaws whether is be hampering their powers or just how they act. Flaws and weaknesses exist in everyone, unless they're some superpower deity of perfection…but come on.

* * *

><p><strong>Equipment<strong>

Does your OC use any sort of equipment? Do they not have any powers and therefore must rely on weapons and gadgets (Batman) or does their equipment somehow enhance and magnify their abilities. Or maybe, they can't fully control their abilities and require something to help them control their powers. Will they eventually be able to fully control their powers so that they don't need a gadgets help? (Black Lightning's belt helped control his powers, though he no longer needs it) The equipment could also be what gives them the power in the first place (Green Lantern's power ring).

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><p><strong>Next Chapter: Background<strong>


	8. Background

**This section is really short, but simple and straight to the point nonetheless. Remember, this isn't a set instruction manuel, just a guide with suggestions. And when I say avoid, I mean avoid, not don't ever use.**

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><p><strong>BACKGROUND<strong>

Every OC has a history, unless someone can point one out to me that doesn't. Your OC's back story is how we learn more about them, where they came and why/how they became who they are now. They don't have to be super detailed, so that aspect is entirely up to you.

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><p><strong>Family<strong>

Your OC has got to have a family, unless they're like a clone or something. So who are their parents? Do they have any siblings? Cousins? Extended families of any sorts? Perhaps they don't have a family. Do they have a role model? Are they an apprentice?

Secondly, just how close is your OC with their family? Are they estranged and rarely speak or are they a very close-knit family? How do they treat the individual members of their family? Do they get along or do they occasionally fight? Also covered in the Relationships section.

Does your OC's family have any influence on their lifestyle, abilities and maybe their goals? Do powers or fighting skills run in the family?

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><p><strong>Upbringing<strong>

How was your OC raised? Was it a loving family or a living nightmare for them? And how does that affect them in their teen years and adulthood? How a person was raised and treated in their childhood will affect how they act and interact with other people.

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><p><strong>BackgroundHistory**

First off, read this:

**Back Stories to Avoid:**

Escaped (sex) slave

Abused as a child

Survivor of a family massacre

Chosen one of some prophecy (really the only thing I didn't like about Harry Potter)

I can't name how many stories I've read that are just horrible because the OC was abused as a child or haunted by the slaughter of their family. Once again, avoid these, I'm not saying don't ever use them, just avoid as they are commonly associated with Mary Sues. It's very easy to mess up a story with a good guy character from this kind of past. Most characters with those back stories usually wind up as villains.

Back story is meant to give us an idea of what your character was like in their earlier years. Detailed or not, it should tell us about your OC, at least enough so that we have a good enough understanding of them.

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><p><strong>Next chapter: The Animal Partner<strong>

**Good luck and make some awesome characters!**


	9. The Animal Partner

**Sorry, it's been a while. Been really busy. Once again, I'm not an expert. Just giving my tips and hope they help you guys!**

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><p><strong>THE ANIMAL PARTNER<strong>

This section is rather short, but basically everything I've covered in previous chapters about the main character can easily be applied here.

Your OC will most likely have some sort of partner, usually in the form of an animal. Why? Because we see it everywhere! Shaman King, Beyblade, Bakugan, Digimon, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Soul Eater all depict some sort of partner used by the main characters. They can be human, it's just most of the time they're an animal. So, this chapter will be written under the assumption that your OC's partner is an animal.

The animal partner will usually take on the role of sidekick to your OC and act as a helper during whatever their quest is. When creating your animal character, just remember a few things. Like your OC, they also must be believable. So it magical creatures haven't shown up in the canon content you're putting them in, try to stick with normal animals. I'm not saying don't do it at all, I'm just saying it's something to avoid doing.

Examples: Krypto the Superdog, Ace the Bat-hound, King from Nadia: Secret of Blue Water (This one does bug me, but it does make sense since Nadia was in the circus).

**Types of Animals to Avoid:**

Wolf

Any kind of wild cat (such as tiger, lion, etc.)

Cute chibi animal with no real skills whatsoever or an insanely amount of power

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><p><strong>Physical Appearance<strong>

What does the animal partner look like? How big is he? Does he have any unique markings or physical features? Tattoos? Split tails? Battle scars or missing limbs? In most cases, physical features can be more exaggerated on the animal partner than the main OC.

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><p><strong>Abilities<strong>

What sort of powers or skills does the animal partner have? Keep in mind that they're abilities should stay within the 'believable' range with relation to the animal form in which they take. For example: predatory creatures would be high athletic and agile.

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><p><strong>Relationship with OC<strong>

How does your OC's partner interact with them? Is it a close bond (maybe bordering on romance?) or do they hate each other's guts and only partner up for personal gain or a common goal? Be creative. Not every single partnership in the entire world is going to be the absolute best or perfect. Even the closest of friends have complications in their relationship. Play around and maybe put some friction between the two.

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><p><strong>Next and final chapter - The Mary Sue Test: How can you tell if your OC is a Mary SueGary Stu? And how can you fix it?**


	10. The Mary Sue Test

**Final chapter of How to Create OCs. Enjoy**

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><p><strong>THE MARY-SUE TEST<strong>

Well, here we are. We've tackled every possible detail about your character and now we're on to one of the things that is on every creator's mind. Is my character a Mary Sue (Gary Stu for males)?

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. What's wrong with wanting to make a strong and powerful character? Absolutely nothing! There is nothing wrong with wanting to create someone who is strong, independent and pretty much badass. There just have to be some boundaries.

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><p><strong>Knowing the Sue<strong>

First off, what defines the Mary Sue? A Mary Sue, henceforth referred to as MS, is a character that is overly idealized in every way, lacking any amount of flaws, and primarily serves as a wish fulfillment fantasy to the author/creator/reader. This means that the MS is what the creator envisions for himself or herself, usually because they don't like how they are already (no offense intended). They are generally one-dimensional and overall really boring. Not to mention they're quite hated by the general populace.

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><p><strong>Traits of the Sue<strong>

Now, it's ok if your character falls under, let's say at most two of these traits. Any more than that, and you'll have a Sue on your hands.

**Overall Beauty**

MS' are absolute beautiful. They are described as having perfect bodies and a generally gorgeous appearance overall. While this is not the worst Sue quality, it's rather unrealistic for someone to be that beautiful. In most cases, MS' have insanely large and seriously unrealistic breasts.

**Relation to Canon Character**

Now, a lot of people say that having your character related to a canon character (CC) is a Sue trait. I think this depends on context and success of the immersion of your character. In my opinion, brother/sister/cousin is fine. However, you'll want to avoid the twin siblings, especially the lost long family member because those are HUGE MS traits.

**Relationships with Other Characters**

Now remember what I said back in "Relationships?" Not everyone gets along with everyone. It's only natural that there would be conflicting personalities. They're not going to agree with everything your character says or does. It's realistic.

**Spotlight**

MS' have the spotlight on them. All. The. Time. There are other characters that deserve the spotlight to be on them as well! Even if the story is about your character, there has to be focus on other characters too. It's not all about the MS.

**I'm Mary Sue and I'm Absolutely Flawless!**

Enjoy the Yu-Gi-Oh! Abridged reference? I did.

The MS is perfect in every way. And no, the argument that since they're only fictional character means they should be perfect is not a good argument. Everything they do is flawless and as a result they seem to suffer no kind of consequence or repercussion of their actions in any way, whatsoever.

Once again, that is not realistic. People have flaws. Everyone has flaws and makes mistakes! And no, clumsiness is not a flaw. Flaws are what make us learn from things like our own mistakes – or maybe even other people's mistakes – and they help us grow as individuals, something that even fictional characters should emulate. Mistakes are all part of growing and developing. It's called character development for a reason!

**100% Chance of Success**

As mentioned above, the MS is capable of executing everything to the utmost perfection. Nobody is perfect. Failure happens so play around with how it affects your character.

Example: Those familiar with Rooster Teeth's Red vs. Blue will know Tex, the badass freelancer agent of the Blue Team. While Tex is supremely skilled and powerful, she is always doomed to fail no matter how hard she fights for success. That is what makes her less of an MS; that, and the fact that there are all the other freelancers who are almost as badass as her.

**Romance**

Who loves the MS? EVERYONE! Chances are that the MS will somehow attract the romantic feelings of every male character, even if they have completely different personalities and don't seem to make sense together. This is usually another wish fulfillment fantasy for the creator to place the MS, which as I mentioned earlier is pretty much an embodiment of him or herself, with the character they like the most. The love triangle is a common attribute in this.

But how does this romance even start? Honestly, it doesn't really at all. The love interest(s) just see the MS and BOOM! They fall in love instantly. No, not a little crush or just seeing a pretty girl. Full on adoration and love. No build up at all. And most of the time it happens between two characters that have no substance for actual relationships.

Like in real life, relationships take time to build. And they're not perfect. Friction and tension happens. Love is never instant.

**The Sue is Actually Me**

In most cases, the MS is an embodiment of the creator for the "wish fulfillment" purpose. While basing your first ever character on your own personality is ok, if you're not careful, the story might just end up turning into a huge emotional diary entry about your life.

**Her Power Level…It's Over 9000!**

MS has all the power in the world and is far more powerful than the series main protagonist and sometimes even all the characters combined. Nothing can defeat them.

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><p><strong>What to Do Now?<strong>

Well, now that you've got your character, what do we do now? We start the story that's what.

Now, don't be afraid of criticism. That's exactly what it is. It's meant to help and improve the story. That's why people have editors for their books. However, there is a difference between criticism and haters. Haters simply bash the story and it's content with not plausible evidence to back up their claims.

It's always better to get the opinion of someone outside of the story who is unbiased. Since you're writing the story and creating the characters, you'll most likely be biased towards your own work.

So get out there and write your story! May we all continue to improve in our skills!

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><p><strong>For an actual Mary Sue test, visit this chapter on my dA under the gallery folder "How to Create OCs" because does not let me include links in chapters.<strong>

**Thanks to everyone for sticking through this with me and I'm glad this has helped people and hope that it continues to help others!**

**Cheers! ~Zephyros-Phoenix**


	11. The Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Character

**Over time, I may upload a few smaller additional chapters focused on specific series with respect to fan characters. First, here's Sonic the Hedgehog. I might also do Yugioh and Pokemon as well.  
><strong>**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>THE SONIC CHARACTER<strong>

With my recent Sonic obsession and character creation, I figured why not make a bonus chapter just about Sonic characters? Because let's face it, it's really easy to mess them up.

Remember, when I say "avoid," it doesn't mean "don't ever do," it just means try not to do it. That doesn't mean someone can pull it off well though. Also, since the majority of character creation guidelines have already been covered in previous chapters, this chapter will be quite small, since it is solely focused on information specific to the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

* * *

><p><strong>Species<strong>

Before I even say a thing about making a Sonic character, we have to talk about your choice in species. For the life of me, I don't know why people would make hedgehog characters when there's so many other species of animals out there. This is a little personal "formula" of mine: if at least two unrelated characters are of the same species, then avoid using that species. I say unrelated because there's Cream and Vanilla. They're two rabbit characters, but they are mother and daughter after all.

-Hedgehog: Sonic, Shadow, Silver, Amy  
>-Echidna: Knuckles, Tikal<br>-Cat: Big, Blaze  
>-Fox: Tails (while Tails is the only fox in the games, the species is considered to be overused)<p>

And just think of all the different kinds of animals there are out there. You have a huge animal kingdom to choose from for a chance of unique and new designs, so why stick with something that's already been done?

Now, if you are going to use an animal species that has already been used for canon Sonic characters, I highly suggest not using similar features of those canon characters. That way, the character itself will look far more original and not look like a recolor.

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><p><strong>Powers<strong>

Now, chances are you want to give your Sonic character powers. Who doesn't? Powers are absolutely okay; we just need balance.

Chaos powers may be a popular choice, but try to impose some restraints on your characters. That is, try not to overpower them with Chaos powers. Maybe even come up with your own idea of powers.

* * *

><p><strong>Background<strong>

If your character is artificially created by someone, most likely Eggman, then just stop right there! Shadow's already done it so we don't need anymore of those.

Like with any character in general, we want his or her back story to be believable and relevant to the character's personality and development. Give us a reason to care about them.


	12. The Harry Potter Fan Character

**THE HARRY POTTER CHARACTER**

As requested by darkangelevanescent, here is the chapter of the OC Creation Guide focusing on fan characters in the Harry Potter universe. Now, Harry Potter falls under the category of series that I like to refer to as being "extremely easy to turn any fan character into a Mary Sue." And let's face it, the quality and potential of any Harry Potter fanfiction and character alike have been ruined since the nightmare of "My Immortal."

Before you even start with a Harry Potter fan character, you must read all seven books. The movies are not enough since not all the important information – such as on characters and even lore – is covered in the film adaptations. You may be asking "Why do I have to read all seven book? Do I really have to? It's seven books!"

My answer: Absolutely. It is a must. By reading all seven books, you will be familiarizing yourself with all the information of – not just Harry Potter himself – but the entire Harry Potter world, something very important when attempting to create a character to be included in that world.

* * *

><p><strong>Species<strong>

Some of you may not be realizing this right away, but your character doesn't necessarily have to be a wizard/witch. They can be a muggle too. Even outside of human characters, there's tons of different species that have been introduced into the Harry Potter world: house elf, goblins, Dementor and a wide variety of magical creatures.

Maybe even the focus of your story isn't the student at Hogwarts, but perhaps his or her parents who, let's say, works at the Ministry of Magic, or somewhere in Diagon Alley. Maybe they're a goblin that works at Gringotts or a house elf serving a family? How about a prisoner of Azkaban?

* * *

><p><strong>Sorting<strong>

If your character is a Hogwarts student, they'll be sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin. When choosing which house your character will be sorted in, you must remember the qualities associated with each of those houses and make sure your character exhibits the traits of the house you want them to be sorted into.

Now, since the majority of the primary cast are (or have been) sorted into Gryffindor and Slytherin, I highly recommend using Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw for your characters, simply because the former two have been used for so many characters so many times in the canon material. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw haven't really been the center of attention as much as Gryffindor and Slytherin have throughout the series.

In addition, it's a good chance to really separate your character from both Harry, Ron and Hermione, and Draco's crew. But more on that later.

* * *

><p><strong>Familial Relations<strong>

Now, I've browsed my fair share of Harry Potter fanfictions back in the day and the first thing I – like many others – will want to see is the summary. Now here are a few of the things that have completely turned me off of any fic the minute I read the summary:

-Harry's long lost twin sister/brother/cousin, etc.  
>-Snape's daughter<br>-Voldemort's daughter

Seriously, what the fuck. I've emphasized in a previous chapter that relations to any canon characters are highly discouraged, but I can say that they are extremely discouraged in Harry Potter content. And in this one instance, when I say "discouraged," I really mean "don't ever do."

Here's why it's so substantially worse to do this in Harry Potter content: For one thing, it's already been established that Harry is the god damned chosen one so giving him a twin sister is just giving your character an excuse to share the spotlight with Harry. As stated in the Mary Sue chapter, taking the attention and spotlight away from the main character is a huge Mary Sue factor.

And let' all remember, you don't have to have a character related to such an already amazing character that exists for your own character to find their own unique qualities that make then special.

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><p><strong>Abilities<strong>

Going with the standard wizard/witch backstory, your character will likely specialize in one of the forms of magic, as that is often how the wands are, being exceptionally good at a certain form of magic. Because, let's remember, if you make her too good at everything, we've got a Mary Sue on our hands.

Dueling is especially a big concern, since it is the basis of all fights in the Harry Potter world.

Look at it this way: if a character is already super good at something, we don't get to see them when they weren't good at said thing let alone see them improve and get to the level they are at. This is all part of character development. It helps the character grow and we, as the readers, wish to follow that journey – much like Harry's own seven year journey throughout the series. It wouldn't have been as interesting to read if the only book was Deathly Hallows.

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><p><strong>Additional Background Information<strong>

Now, in most cases, your character is a student at Hogwarts. But they don't always have to be. They could be a teacher or have some other form of employment in (or not) in the magical world. How you determine your character's profession will serve to further individualize him/her from the bulk of HP fan characters.

If they are a Hogwarts student, I recommend not making them friends with Harry, Ron or Hermione, simply because those characters are such a main focus of the series itself. Associating your character with those three main characters would not only risk your character outshining them (Mary Sueness) but as well as the risk of them overshadowing your character.

Therefore, I believe it would benefit both the character and story to have very little interaction with the golden trio.

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><p><strong>*NEW* Pop Culture References<strong>

Now I've seen this happen more times than it should: references to pop culture, you know, our pop culture like bands. For some reason, people seem to think that wizards know all about real bands, or in the case of Harry Potter content, muggle bands. It's been made clear that really the only wizards aware of muggle shit are those who have been raised by muggles, like Harry and Hermione. So why the hell would any other wizard know about Good Charlotte (example from My Immortal).

Unless you've made it clear that an actual band (or other pop culture refs) are also wizards (like say if Good Charlotte was also a wizard band), for the love of god, use wizard pop culture references!

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><p><strong>Avoiding the HP Mary Sue<strong>

Like I said in the beginning, Harry Potter is one of those series I classify as easily being able to convert any well balanced fan character into a Mary Sue almost instantly. Therefore, much work is needed to make your character worthwhile in the HP universe.

As with any other type of character, fan or original, we want them to be unique. You want to give them a special quality that separates them from other Harry Potter characters, canon or not, but without risking their transformation into a Mary Sue.

Think outside the box and try to go against the usual Hogwarts student-type character. Do something new, daring!


	13. The Avatar Fan Character

**THIS IS NOT FOR JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR.**

**I am now taking specialty chapter requests for the help guide. So just tell me the series and I'll do my best to address character creation issues with the specific series. However, keep in mind that my knowledge is limited to series that I am familiar with. Naruto ad Kingdom Hearts have already been requested, but I am not familiar enough with either series.**

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><p><strong>THE AVATAR CHARACTER<strong>

As requested by gordhanx, here is the chapter focusing on fan-made characters for the Avatar: The Last Airbender series. As I've stated with previous specialty chapters, any standard character creation topics will have already been covered in previous chapters. This is just a chapter focusing on the specific details relating to the Avatar world.

**The Last Airbender vs. Legend of Korra**

First things first: is your character for the original series (TLA) or the Korra series (LOK), because yes, it does matter. Why does this matter? Time. TLA and LOK are set seventy years apart and technologies and societal norms are incredibly different in either series. The world your character would have been brought up in greatly affects the character itself, such as personality, cultural tolerance, equipment and even fashion; therefore you must take into account the world of TLA and LOK when creating your character.

For example, if they were brought up by the time of TLA, they're likely to be harbor strong feelings of hate to the Fire Nation or patriotism for the Fire Nation (depending on their origin). On the other hand, if they were brought up in LOK, they're likely to be far more culturally tolerant and diverse.

**Physical Description**

Now, it's clear that each of the four nations has physical features specific to them: the Water Tribe has blue eyes, the Fire Nation has gold eyes and Earth Kingdom natives usually have black hair, while the other three nations usually sport brown hair. Depending on your character's ethnic origin, their physical description should reflect the common appearances of other members of their ethnic group.

It's simple genetics. If two people with brown hair and blue eyes have children, their children are more likely to also have brown hair and blue eyes as well. It's called dominant genes.

Here's why I emphasize the physical description. I've read my fair share of Avatar stories and I've noticed that some people give their characters blonde hair. Now, when have we ever seen a character with blonde hair in the show? Never. Now, I'd be happy to accept a blonde character, or a character with different color hair, so long as the existence of that hair color is justified, of course with respect to the series they exist in. Look at Princess Yue: she was born with brown hair but it was turned white by the moon spirit. Boom, justification.

Now, if you really want your character to have another color of hair other than the standard black or brown, then I have two suggestions for how you can justify such a feature:

Now, I'm not sure if it's been stated that the Four Nations are the **only** lands in the Avatar world. So for now, let's say that they're not. Perhaps your character is from a foreign land where hair colors are wacky and weird! Who knows?

Now this second option is only for characters in the LOK series only. Given that seventy years have passed since TLA, technology has taken quite a leap: cars, planes even plastic surgery! So, I think it's safe to assume that hair coloring is also something that could have been developed by that time. So while a character may not have been born with blonde – or any other color – hair, but they can easily change the color of it with chemicals and so on.

**Abilities**

What can I say about this than one thing: ONLY THE AVATAR CAN BEND MORE THAN ONE ELEMENT! Why is that something so hard for people to grasp? Now, you may be asking yourself "dude, chill out." No, I will not chill out. Do you know how many times I have seen someone make a character that can bend two elements and is not the Avatar?

A lot.

In most cases, they're from a multicultural family, so people try to use that as justification for using two elements. "Oh my character's mom was a waterbender and dad was a firebender, so my character can bend both!"

I say bullshit! It's been established in canon content that only the Avatar can bend more than one element. But if that's not enough for you, let's take a look at some canon example of individuals from multicultural families:

Kori Morishita: In the graphic novel trilogy, The Promise, a character is introduced as the daughter of the mayor of Fu Dao, the oldest Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom. Her father is a firebender and her mother is an earthbender. Kori, herself, is an earthbender, something she inherited from her mother.

Not enough for you? Then let's look at some more prominent examples:

Bolin and Mako: Two brothers from a multiethnic family but both only inherited one bending art from their parents, not both.

**Origins**

Now here's the most important part of any character. Avatar is a huge world, so don't feel like you're restricted to the main canon characters of the series. Maybe your character is a native to one of the nations and is dealing with the pressures of the war, good or bad. Or maybe they're just someone living in Republic City during the Equalist Revolution and dealing with that change.

Perhaps even your story isn't even set during TLA or LOK. Maybe it's before, maybe it's after. Maybe it's about a previous or future incarnation of the avatar. Why not make a story about your own incarnation of the avatar? What if they're an evil avatar, eh? Perhaps it's even the adventures of the avatar in modern or even futuristic times. That would certainly be an interesting take.

Like with any series, Avatar has limitless possibilities and it's up to you as the writer to discover them.

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><p><strong>Hope it helps Avatar character creators! If I missed anything of you have suggestions for something that should be in this chapter, let me know!<strong>


	14. The YuGiOh! Fan Character

**By popular demand, here is the YGO specific chapter of the OC creation guide! I have also accepted requests for a Bakugan chapter as well as a general Marvel/DC Comics chapter. Now, I know I said that I wouldn't be able to write a chapter about a series that I have little to no knowledge of, however, if I'm feeling up to it, I will do some research and familiarize myself with the series as much as I can, at least enough to write up a decent chapter guide.**

* * *

><p><strong>THE YUGIOH CHARACTER<strong>

Now, Yugioh (henceforth abbreviated as YGO) is another one of those series that I like to categorize as "incredibly easy to turn any well balanced character into a Mary Sue." This is likely due to the actual structure of the series itself and how exponentially important and "powerful" the card games really are to the inner workings of the series.

Even something as simple as defeating a main character in a duel can easily turn your character into a Mary Sue. I know some of you may find it hard to believe that, but one of the major Mary Sue factors is overpowering and/or surpassing the main character (who is often the most powerful character in the series) in whatever manner is used in the series, which, in YGO's case, is card games.

* * *

><p><strong>~Naming~<strong>

I only say this because it's something someone brought up with regards to my own character that I actually took note of during the time I made her.

Stick to either original, Japanese versions or the North America dub with regards to character names. Many of the characters have had their names changed during the dubbing process. Jaden was Judai and a bunch of other GX people had different names before they were given more American style names to better suit their English speaking audience.

Here's why it's important that you stick to one dubbing. Let's take a look at my character as an example:

Her name is Jun Eguchi and she's a GX character and as some of you may know, Chazz's original name in Japanese is Manjoume Jun. While someone pointed this out to me (a fact which I was already aware of), I argued that because I was using the English dub names rather than the original Japanese, it was fine. My Jun would never have her name confused with Chazz's because Chazz would be Chazz, not Jun.

* * *

><p><strong>~Time Period~<strong>

Keep in mind the time period/series you want to put your character in with regards to technologies and cards available (we'll talk about the later point later on). If your character is an original series or GX character, then they shouldn't have a 5D's/ZEXAL duel disk or any technology from that timeline. If it were the other way around, it would be fine because the technology of original series and GX would technically still exist in 5D's and ZEXAL.

* * *

><p><strong>~Deck~<strong>

The most important part about any YGO character is their deck. Of course the character doesn't necessarily have to be a duelist, it's just that most of them are. Seriously, how many characters have we seen that don't play a card game? Not a lot really when you think about it.

Just one important note: do take into account that there are only three of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards and Seto Kaiba has all of them. So, please no characters with a Blue-Eyes because we all know Kaiba has them and ripped up the fourth so there really shouldn't be any reason for a character to have even a single Blue-Eyes. As with any other rare card (or any card where it has been stated just how many there are and who has them), take into account the rarity and stock of the cards you wish to use for your character.

**Specialty**

First things first: specialty. Most often duelists will have a specific type of deck that they specialize in. For example, Yugi does mainly spellcasters, Jaden uses elemental heroes and Weevil specializes in bug monsters. While a specialty is not absolutely required, it just better helps to structure and build up a well balanced deck for your character while also sticking to a theme. But try to avoid using the same theme as another main character (this does depend on the series your character exists in).

The YGO wiki has guides of suggested cards to have in specific type decks that will be very helpful in building your character's deck. Or you could even use an actual deck you might have as the base for your character's.

Now having a specialty should not restrict the types of cards your character uses. They can very well have a specialty but also have some cards that do not fall under that specialty. In fact, my YGO character, Jun, has a dragon deck, but also uses a few monsters that are not dragons.

I like to think of it like Pokemon where if your entire team is all the same type and how you're screwed once you get to a gym that's a major weakness to your team. Diversity is what builds strength.

**Duel Spirit**

Now, when it comes to a duel spirit, definitely avoid using any monster character that has been used as such to a canon character. For example: Dark Magician (Girl) and (Winged) Kuriboh. Using an iconic monster such as the one mentioned above is just a weak excuse to link your character to one of the main canon characters and can easily be considered a Mary Sue trait by many.

This does not mean that your character can't have iconic cards such as the aforementioned ones, just avoid having them as your character's main monster. It's times like this where I really wonder if Dark Magician is as rare of a card as the series states it is. I mean, we've clearly seen at least 3 Dark Magicians and I've seen plenty of the cards in various stores. Doesn't seem that rare to me.

Basically, I think it's totally fine to have a Dark Magician in your character's deck, so long as that Dark Magician is not advertised as much as, let's say, Yugi's Dark Magician is, especially if your character is for the original series.

A friend of mine has a GX character who specializes in a spellcaster/fairy combination deck and even has a Dark Magician. However, because she is a GX character – where Dark Magician is seldom seen – and it is not her ace card, let alone duel spirit, I felt it was perfectly fine.

**Using Cards from Other Series**

You think I wouldn't have to bring this point up, but you'd be surprised. I cannot emphasize how you should absolutely not give your character cards that debut in a series set after the one your character is currently placed in.

Simpler terms? No synchro monsters in any pre-5D's timeline, namely original series and GX.

Why? Well, I should think it to be a very simple answer: those cards don't exist yet! Giving your character cards from a subsequent series that do not exist in their present timeline is just a Mary Sue trait. "Why is this a Mary Sue trait?" you may ask. Because it gives your character an unfair advantage over everyone else. Having cards that don't technically exist yet is just a weak reason to try and make your character better and stronger then everyone else in the series. It gives them an unfair advantage, using cards that don't even exist yet as opposed to cards that do.

Even if you used time travel to justify your character having synchro monsters in a pre 5D's time period, it still would not work. Why? Simple science: the duel disks of any pre 5D's timeline would not recognize cards that have not yet even been invented! This applies to both the player and the opponent, even if one of them had a 5D's era duel disk. If you tried playing a synchro monster on a duel disk that was not made at the same time as the debut as synchro monsters (or at least updated with some card database) then the duel disk would probably go "what the fuck is this shit?" and break down with a system error.

If it sounds confusing, I'll use an analogy. Let's say you went to an ice cream store that served Oreo Fudge Brownie. Now, let's say you went back into time to the same ice cream store and ordered an Oreo Fudge Brownie, only to find that they don't serve it because they wouldn't start serving that flavor until a few months from then. Does that make sense? Because I can't think of any other simpler way to explain it.

Now, some of you may argue about using regular monster cards, like non-synchros and non-tuners. Those, I like to call the exceptions because they are just simple monster cards, a type of card that has existed since the dawn of YGO, where was synchros and tuners don't exclusively show up until 5D's.

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><p><strong>~Abilities~<strong>

Please don't make playing card games the only thing your character is good at. Because let's be realistic even if everyone in the YGO world won't: playing card games isn't going to get you very far. Look at Kaiba: he's a "professional" card game player but he still has a job that makes money (albeit by making stuff for the card game experience), but a paying job nonetheless that does not require him to play a card game with another character on a daily basis.

So what other skills does your character have?

Of course, such a point is relatively moot if your character is a GX character, you know, where the setting is a school that teaches children how to play a card game?

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><p><strong>~Origins~<strong>

**Connection to Ancient Egypt and Pharaoh Atem**

Oh my god, please just stop with the ancient Egypt stuff. It was cheesy when YGO did it, so it'll be just as cheesy, if not more, when someone else does it now. We don't need your character to be the reincarnation of someone who had some kind of bond or relationship with the Pharaoh or anyone else in ancient Egypt. So seriously, cut it out. It wasn't even funny when the made that stupid joke about it in the first episode of GX.

On a side note, why were some of the ancient Egypt people (Atem, Seto and Shiamun) reincarnated as Japanese people? Not being sarcastic, I'm really just wondering what are the odds…

I'm not even done with the ancient Egypt point: do not, I repeat, do not make your character, in any way, blood related to Atem or anyone from the ancient Egypt arc. Period!

Once again, you think I wouldn't have to bring up such a point, but again, you'd be surprised.

Let's take a look at Atem's life: the minute he was crowned Pharaoh, he had shit to deal with in the form of Bakura. His entire rule was focused on fighting Bakura that he clearly didn't have the time for any ladies (I feel the need to slip in a YGO Abridged joke right now…). In fact, by the time he pretty much died, he gave his throne to Seto because he had no living heir and Seto was the only blood relative he had left.

Atem died a virgin.

Now you can write a fun little fanfiction about Atem and some girl at the Pharaoh's court, but it should not go any further than that, especially not to the point where we're looking at Atem's present day descendent, because as I just stated, he died a virgin.

That was really the only YGO specific back story point I had to cover right now. Any other back story-related issues will likely be covered in the Background chapter.

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><p><strong>Hope that helps you YGO character creators! If you have any points you think I should address or any series you want me to write a chapter for, let me know!<strong>


	15. The Pokemon Fan Character

**By a recent request and a personal quest of my own, here is the Pokemon specific chapter! The next two chapters will be focusing on Bakugan and generic Marvel/DC characters, fyi. Good luck to you all, fellow Pokemon character creators.**

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><p><strong>THE POKEMON CHARACTER<strong>

Like with Harry Potter and Yugioh, Pokémon is another series that can easily transform any well-balanced and sensible character into a Mary Sue for the same reasons as HP and YGO: any defeat of the main canon character by a fan made character.

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><p><strong>~Equipment~<strong>

First off, every Pokémon trainer will have equipment with them for their journey. What's important to keep in mind is that the gear your character will carry with them should reflect the region they originate from.

Now you may argue that every time Ash goes to a new region, he gets a new Pokédex. The Pokédex is the same tool no matter what region you are in: it provides the same function in Kanto as it would in Johto and Hoenn. The reason Ash gets a new Pokédex in every new region he visits is because the Pokédex he would already have on hand is not programmed with the Pokémon he would see in this new region. For example, his Hoenn Pokédex would not be programmed with Sinnoh or Unova Pokémon, so he has to get a new Pokédex native to that region.

But the Pokédex isn't the gear I'm talking about; I'm talking about stuff like the Pokégear, Pokénav, Pokétch and CGear. Each gear practically functions the same way. They are just exclusive to whatever region they are primarily used in. Remember that May, a native to Hoenn, uses the Pokénav, while Dawn, a native to Sinnoh, uses the Pokétch?

So whatever gear you are going to give your character, make sure it is native to the region they originally hail from. Also, do not give her a CGear is they already have a Pokénav. As I said before, the gears all do virtually the same thing: communication and travel guides.

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><p><strong>~Origins~<strong>

There's lot of cities for your character to hail from in the games, so you don't always have to pick Pallet Town or its equivalent from other regions. How about a town that was anime/movie exclusive? Or even regions from spin-off games?

Also, since I refuse to accept that after hundreds of episodes and four regions, Ash is still only ten years old, I would say that the travel through a single region (gyms or contests or even both) should take at least one year each. There's no way shit happens that fast within a year. It's impossible.

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><p><strong>~Pokémon Roster~<strong>

This is the most important part of any Pokémon character: their roster. It's just as easy to pull off well as it is to completely fuck up.

**Specialty**

Like with Yugioh, your character probably has a specialty type for the Pokémon they use. Now, like I said in the YGO chapter, this should not restrict the type of Pokémon your character can use. Look at Brock: he's mainly uses rock-types but he's got a few non-rock types in his roster.

**Main Party**

What's the difference between "on hand" and "in rotation"? Simple: "on hand" refers to a team of six set Pokémon where as "in rotation" refers to a roster of more than six Pokémon that a trainer constantly shifts through. In every region prior to Unova, Ash would only ever use six Pokémon. Sure, one would leave to go into training or something, thus freeing up another space for a new Pokémon, but it was a set six "on hand" nonetheless. But now that he's in Unova, he's constantly switching through all the Unova Pokémon he's caught, therefore his party is now referred to as "in rotation" as opposed to "on hand."

Now your character will probably have an ace Pokémon of their own, who may or may not stay outside their Pokéball like Pikachu. Just take into account the size of the actual Pokémon. The smaller they are, the more likely they'll be able to stay out of their Pokéball more often than a large Pokémon, especially when inside a building.

Also, I'm sure it's a no brainer to avoid using a canon character's ace Pokémon as your character's ace Pokémon, such as Pikachu, Piplup and Axew.

**Nicknames**

I like to encourage nicknaming for Pokémon because Pikachu isn't the name of the individual Pokémon, it's the name of the species of Pokémon. And it just gets confusing if two people have the same type of Pokémon that go by their species name.

But, if you are going to choose to nickname your character's Pokémon, you must nickname all of them. You can't have some that have nicknames and then some that don't because not only is that inconsistent, it also doesn't make much sense. Why would someone nickname some of the Pokémon and then not nickname the rest? See what I'm saying?

**Evolution**

Now, if you're like me, you don't want to have to write out the grueling and lengthy journey of your character as they travel through all the regions, catch Pokémon and evolve them. I really just don't have the time or energy for something like that. I just made my character to have her and show what her roster is. That's it.

However, if you are writing the full story of your character's journey, take into account how long it takes certain Pokémon to evolve both in the games and anime. A Dratini would take a much longer time to reach full evolution than a Charmander would.

**Legendaries**

I don't care how badly you want one; your character should not have a legendary Pokémon ever! They can befriend one like Ash has several times in his life, but never at any point should they actually own one! It is a huge Mary Sue trait.

It doesn't matter if you're choosing one of the smaller legendaries like Manaphy or Shaymin. A legendary is a legendary, plain and simple and they have duties as legendary Pokémon that keep them from becoming a trainer's Pokémon.

Right now, some of you are going to say to me "Well, actually Tobias has a Darkrai and Latios, so there!"

That only just supports my point because Tobias is a big fat Gary Stu of epic proportions. It's been established in the canon that Tobias defeated all the Sinnoh gym leaders with only his Darkrai and won the Conference with his Darkrai and Latios only. The fact that he has not just one, but two (perhaps even more) legendaries and proceeded to use them to execute a super easy victory makes him the grand Pokémon Gary Stu, the epitome of what all Pokémon character should not be: all powerful and undefeatable.

In fact, put Tobias next to your character and if they are anything alike, then your character needs a lot of work, pronto.

**Shinies**

Who doesn't want a shiny Pokémon? The only problem I've seen some people make is that they give too many shiny Pokémon to a single individual. What is the ratio of meeting a shiny Pokémon?

1:8192

Even when I'm playing the games, I've only ever met three shiny Pokémon that were not story related like the red Gyarados: a Starly, an Abra, the latter of which teleported away on me and a Tepig (literally started the game with shiny Tepig, no cheats). But nevertheless, in all my years of playing Pokémon games, I've only legitimately met three shiny Pokémon ever.

Therefore, if you want to give your character a shiny Pokémon, which is absolutely ok, I do not recommend giving them more than two, otherwise you'll be pushing Mary Sueville.

**Move sets**

Please, please, please research the actual Pokémon before making their move sets! This is another one of those moments where I'd pop the "you'd think I wouldn't have to talk about this" lines. But once again, you'd be surprised.

Any smart person would actually look up the moves a Pokémon they wish to use can learn before making the move set because honestly, I didn't think someone wouldn't do that! And it showed when they put Razor Wind as an attack that the Pokémon cannot learn at all.

Now, there's also the reverse side of this rule: moves that Pokémon should be able to learn, but cannot. In most cases it's just that there is no actual way for the Pokémon to learn said move in the games.

For example, let's look at Braviary. It's a standard bird Pokémon so it should be able to learn Steel Wing. The problem is that TM 47 has been replaced with another move and because it's a male exclusive species, Steel Wing cannot be bred into its move set. So while there's literally no way for Braviary to learn Steel Wing in Black and White, it should be able to learn the move nonetheless.

Another example I want to look at is Delcatty. For some reason, Delcatty can't learn Iron Tail. Iron Tail is a TM and Delcatty has a tail, so why can't Delcatty learn it? If you encounter a case such as these and a Pokémon cannot learn any Wing, Claw or Tail move despite actually having the body part, it is absolutely justifiable to give them that move. Otherwise, stick to what it says a Pokémon can learn.

On another note, don't feel restricted to the four moves only feature that the games exhibit. As in the anime, Pokémon are capable of knowing more than four moves at one time. Just try not to overpower them with moves.

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><p><strong>That's pretty much all I have to say about Pokémon characters right now. If you have any points you want me to cover or have another series you want me to write a chapter on, let me know.<strong>


	16. The Bakugan Fan Character

******As of now, I can't remember who it was who asked for a Bakugan chapter, but you know who you are.**

**The following series have been confirmed for chapters: Marvel/DC, Loonatics Unleashed, Digimon.**

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><p><strong>THE BAKUGAN CHARACTER<strong>

Here is the chapter focusing on fan characters for the Bakugan series. Please note that any information here is meant to be applied to characters for the first/original series of Bakugan, not the new BakuTech! Series.

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><p><strong>~Attributes~<strong>

Your character's attribute, whether Bakugan or non-Bakugan, is likely to be the biggest and most important part about their character. In most cases, the attribute they've chosen often reflects a certain personality trait of theirs. Not only that but the attribute will sometimes even have an influence on the character's design and color scheme, so choose wisely.

I remember when I was making my second character and intended her to be a Pyrus battler, but wound up making her Aquos simply because it better suited her design and character. If you come across something like that, do not try to force the attribute onto them. Pick the attribute that you feel best matches that character, rather than the one you want for them.

Now, let me say this once. There are only six attributes.

Let me say that again so you can really soak it in. THERE ARE ONLY SIX ATTRIBUTES!

Pyrus, Aquos, Ventus, Subterra, Haos and Darkus. That's it. End of story.

And if they don't have an attribute? White One. Period.

The six attributes of Bakugan pretty much cover most of the main elements already. There's the four main natural forces of fire, water, wind and earth and then the two supernatural forces of light and darkness. That's broad enough already for a series like Bakugan.

You have every right to make up a new attribute if you want, but let's look at it this way. Making up a new attribute is just the usual weak attempt to make your character more awesome than the others without having to have the character actually do something. You're hoping that they'll be judged on what they have rather than what they've done, the latter of which is the more important one.

Here's an example. Let's say I made up a new type of Pokemon that is not only super rare, but has no weakness. See how cheesy and Mary Sue that is? You can argue that Pokemon has made new types with the debut of Dark and Steel in generation 2, but that's because they're the ones who originally made Pokemon in the first place. Unless Bakugan is springing a bunch of new attributes, which I doubt they will, I highly recommend against making up your own attribute.

But I digress, let's move on.

Each attribute has a color scheme specific to them. Pyrus are marked by reds and oranges, Aquos by blues, Ventus by greens, Subterra by browns and oranges, Haos by whites and yellows and Darkus by blacks and purples.

Now, this does not restrict your character or their Bakugan's color scheme to those specific colors. As we saw in Gundalian Invaders, greens were introduced to the Darkus attribute and it really added an accent.

When designing your character, don't feel the need to only use the color of their attribute for the color scheme. You can easily mix things up a bit and try colors that are actually the opposite or complementary to the attribute colors. Simply think of the attribute colors as a guideline.

**Changing Attributes**

As established by canon material, a Bakugan is capable of changing their attribute with an evolution. Helios went from Pyrus to Darkus between the end of New Vestroia and the beginning of Mechtanium Surge.

I actually went with a similar turn before the canon material established that attribute change could occur through evolution. My character was initially a White One but evolved into a Haos Bakugan after being exposed to the energy of the Haos world in New Vestroia before it recombined.

**Multiple Attributes**

This is something I highly discourage, simply because it's rather hard to pull off while keeping your character sensible and well balanced. As we saw in arc 2 of Mechtanium Surge (which I'm mentally denying even happened), characters are commonly using more attributes then usual.

The reason I discourage this is because your character has less of a specialization in their attribute. It's simply another attempt to give characters a one up over the main canon characters.

However, so long as the use of multiple attributes is a temporary thing, much like it was in MS arc 2, then I think it's fine, so long as they eventually return to their main attribute. Here's an example: during that half of the season, Dan uses Reptak, a Haos Bakugan, while Gunz is MIA, but returns Reptak to Gunz after the latter returns.

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><p><strong>~Bakugan~<strong>

When it comes to making your own character for Bakugan, I highly recommend creating your own Bakugan species for your character. Not only it is completely original, but it keeps it from being relative to other canon Bakugan. Plus, how much more awesome would it be to be the only one with a certain type of Bakugan? It's simply far more unique and really tests your creative skills in designing a new creature.

Now, with respect to the attribute color schemes, I do suggest sticking to it, since Bakugan are pretty much born with those colors. So long as you stick with the main color schemes (the sets of colors I mentioned earlier) then you'll be a okay! And don't be afraid to add in your own accent colors to really make them pop!

**Multiple Bakugan**

Another common thing among Bakugan characters is the use of more than one Bakugan. This is something I deem completely reasonable, so long as that character has minimal use of the following in exchange for a second Bakugan: Traps, Battle Gear and Mechtogans.

Having access to a second set of the above is overpowering and most commonly a Mary Sue trait. Think about it. Having not only two Bakugan, but as a result, two traps for those Bakugan, corresponding Battle Gear and even Mechtogans? It's a lot for a single person to have.

I'll use my two Bakugan characters as examples. My main one, Ayden Grit, has one Bakugan and therefore a Trap, Battle Gear and Mechtogan for that Bakugan. My secondary character, Sora Minamoto, has two Baukgan by no Traps, Battle Gear or Mechtogans.

If you want to give your character a second Bakugan but still make them balanced, then you'll have to make some sacrifices.

**Traps**

Traps are the natural sidekick to regular Bakugan. Obviously, they should be the same attribute of the Bakugan they are the "Robin" to. They won't have as many attacks and won't be as strong as the regular Bakugan, but they still contribute something to the battle.

**Battle Gear/BakuNano**

Out of all the add ons to Bakugan, I think Battle Gear/BakuNano are the smallest addition. How your Battle Gear will look will heavily depend on the appearance and abilities of your Bakugan such as if they specialize in ranged attacks or close up attacks. I suggest taking a look at all the Battle Gear and BakuNanos we've seen just so you can get some good references for making your own.

**Mechtogans/Mechtogan Titans**

Don't even bother making a Mechtogan Titan. It was stupid enough in the show when they did it. As is a Mechtogan was already fucking insane enough?

So please, let's keep it simple with the plain Mechtogan.

With your Mechtogan, you'll want to stick with the same color scheme and relatively the same design style as with it's Bakugan creator. However, with Mechtogan, you'll want to make the colors a bit more metallic and desaturated, as we see in the canon Mechtogans.

Also, I suggest keeping them mute. In my opinion, the Mechtogan were cooler when they couldn't talk… like the Traps! Plus Zenthon's voice is just really stupid.

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><p><strong>~Origin~<strong>

As the Bakugan series has established, aliens exist and they all seem to play Bakugan as well… surprisingly with the exact same rules too! Fancy that!

Anyway, you've got four main species pools outside of the actual Bakugan itself to choose from: human, vestal, gundalian and neathian. But who's to say you're restricted to that?

You can even make up your own species of alien. All that I ask is that you do not make their real forms look like humans. It's not just for Bakugan, I'm sick of seeing aliens that look so much like humans. It's part of the reason why I don't like the vestals as much as I like the gundalians and neathians.

Now when I say that I don't mean the typical human body shape, something shared by all four canon species, I just mean like physical features, which as we see in gundalians and neathians, are very different from humans, unlike the vestals where the only difference from the humans is the eyes.

That was really the only Bakugan specific thing I felt was worth mentioning with regards to backgrounds.

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><p><strong>If you feel as if I had missed something you wanted me to talk about or there's a series you want me to write a chapter for, feel free to let me know!<strong>


	17. The DCMarvel Fan Character

**As requested by Obsessive-Fan Number 1, here is the chapter on Young Justice character, which I have modified to simply encompass Marvel and DC in general.**

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><p><strong>THE MARVELDC CHARACTER**

I'll be honest, there isn't much I can think of to talk about Marvel/DC characters right now. The reason why is because the two series themselves are very open and just about anything is possible.

**Don't Superman It**

Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I hate Superman with a burning passion. I just hate him, can't stand him one bit! Why? Because he's a Gary Stu. He's what you don't want your character to turn into: the compeltely indestructable super titan with so many powers, he can do the job of a single team of heroes. And reading/watching a story/series about one guy isn't nearly as much fun as reading/watching one about a whole team of characters and watching all their different and more reasonable powers working together and the character interacting with each other.

**Origin**

Because of the establishment of multiverses, origins pretty much have absolute free reign. Just remember that their backstory and powers should make sense based on the world that they come from. Keep it believeable.

**Young Justice**

Since this chapter was pretty much based on a request for a Young Justice chapter, I'll add in some things I feel worth mentioning based on my own experience and reading other people's YJ fics.

First off, YJ is a team show. The Team is the whole focus of the show so teamwork is therefore the whole point of the missions. Try to avoid having characters that figure everything out right away and/or are the ones who complete the mission, especialy on their own. Not saying that you can't ever do it, it's just something that should be avoided.

If you do want to include it, introduce it as an initial flaw and show the character's improvement. Remember in the beginning of the series how Robin was really bad at teamwork with the Team? He got better with his teamwork skills and improved, which therefore improved the overall effectiveness of the Team as a whole.

Don't feel the need to immediately tie your sidekick with a mentor from the Justice League. While it's a nice connection, it's also not necessary for introducing a good character. The same goes for costume. Don't feel the need to base your character's costume on a JL members (mentor or not).

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><p><strong>That's really all I've got for this at the moment, but if anyone has any further suggestions for possible topics to discuss, I'm all ears!<strong>


	18. The Digimon Fan Character

**As requested by Red Infinity Dragon, here is the chapter on Digimon fan characters.**

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><p><strong>THE DIGIMON CHARACTER<strong>

Since there's not a lot of fan characters for Digimon (especially since the series ended long ago as the fan base eventually died down a bit), most of my topics are rather limited, even more so since I don't look at many Digimon fan characters to begin with.

**Digivice Selection**

I don't know if this has ever been an issue, but I feel like someone might have done this at some point.

Do not give a canon digivice any abilities that it does not posses.

What does that mean? Basically, if your character is for a specific canon season, avoid giving them a digivice that is not specific to that season. This is a crossover element that is difficult to pull off and justify since it's been established in each series that they exist separate from the other series. For example, Adventure and Adventure 02 are television shows in Tamers.

So, avoid bringing in digivices from one season into another. Unlike cases like Adventure and Adventure 02, where a clear connection between the two seasons as been established, it would be difficult to explain the existence of a type of digivice outside it's originating season while also establishing a connection between the two seasons to justify the foreign digivice existing in another season.

Also, do not give a digivice from one season the abilities of a digivice from another season. For example: the digivice from season 3 should not be able to do the same things as the ones from season 4 and vice versa.

**Digimon Partner**

When choosing your character's digimon partner, remember one important rule: they only get one.

One.

I highly recommend avoiding making any digimon that has already been used as a digimon partner to a canon character as your character's partner. It will simply feel overused and there are loads of other digimon that can be used. In addition, using a digimon that has already been used by a main canon character will often cause your readers to unintentionally think of that digimon's human partner instead of your own character.

Now remember when I said you should only have one digimon partner? Well, as we see in Frontier, it's possible to have allies (however useless they may be). Now, do not use this as a "cheat" to give your character more than one digimon partner. I would suggest that you have one ally digimon – who will not have a human partner – for every 3 digidestined. In addition, I would suggest making them similar to the two from Frontiers – their names escape me at the moment – in the sense that they don't really add in the fight at all but assisted in areas of knowledge about the digital world. However, this is a role that can easily be filled by the digimon itself! So the need for a digimon ally should only be necessary in the absence of a digimon partner. Otherwise, like I stated, it would just be seen as an excuse to give your character an additional digimon partner.

**Origin**

The standard origin for digimon characters has been 10-12 year old school children. It's a bit overused, but it's the working formula. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But do avoid the "I was raised in the digital world" bit. It's overused and cheesy and I didn't like it when they did it for one of the Data Squad characters.

Because the origin story has been pretty standard for digimon characters, I would like to see some more variation and branching out to older digidestined, whether it is teenagers or even adults. It'll be a great opportunity to really try something new!

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><p><strong>As usual, leave a review if you have any suggested topics for existing chapters or requests for new chapters.<strong>


	19. The Loonatics Unleashed Fan Character

**Can't remember who requested this, but I'm pretty sure it was Red Infinity Dragon.**

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><p><strong>THE LOONATICS UNLEASHED CHARACTER<strong>

**Species**

Whether you're making a completely original character or basing your character off an original Looney Tunes, try to throw in some diversity in terms of species choice. As with Sonic fan characters, I've grown rather tired seeing the fan characters of species that have already been used.

Once again, you've got a big animal kindgom out there. Use it!

**Color Designation**

Since the six canon Loonatics already have a main color as their color, it doesn't leave much left to work with, does it? Some easy colors that haven't been used: blue, black, brown, white. Also consider working with a darker or lighter shade of a color that has been used. As long as it's a different enough shade, it should be fine.

**Abilities**

You're character doesn't need to have super powers to be part of the Loonatics. My character, for example, possesses no super powers caused by the meteor and instead has cybenetic limbs. Despite not having super powers, she's still an important part of the team, just as any character can be, powers or none.

In terms of the powers, avoid duplicating any of the canon Loonatics' powers in your own character (laser vision, teleportation, super speed, etc.) It's repetetive and each character has those powers for a specific reason. Only they have that ability and there may come a mission where only a specific power can save the day. Besides, who wants to watch a show where all the characters have the same super power?

Diversity is what keeps things interesting.

**Origin**

Other planets have been established as canon, so much like the DC and Marvel universe, you have relatively free reign when it comes to origin stories, especially if they hail from another planet. So once again, keep it believeable, based on what is considered normal where your character comes from.

**Villain Character**

Don't feel limited by the cast of villains Loonatics Unleashed gives you. If you're not satisfied or you need a specific villain, make your own! After all, you've got a huge cast of amazing villains from DC and Marvel for inspiration!

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><p><strong>As of now, my character creation guide queue includes: Soul Eater, Beyblade, Shaman King, Bleach, and Dragon Ball. If there are any more chapters any of you would like to see, let me know and if you have any ideas of what to talk about for specific series, let me know! I'm running out of things to talk about. My one brain can only come up with so much.<strong>


End file.
